Discovered, Currently Not Indexed: What to Do About It
"Discovered, currently not indexed" means Google knows your page exists but hasn't visited it yet, so it isn't in search results. It isn't an error or a penalty. On a new or small site you can often leave it for a few days or weeks. If it's one of the pages your customers need, there are two small things worth doing, and they are below.
What does "Discovered, currently not indexed" mean?
Google's help for the Page indexing report describes it as a page that was found by Google but not crawled yet. "Crawled" means Google has actually visited and read the page. "Indexed" means it's been added to Google's library of pages, which is what lets it appear in results. This status sits before both.
The same help page explains why. Google wanted to crawl the address but expected that to overload the site, so it rescheduled the visit. That's also why the "last crawl" date in the report is empty. The report lists it under pages that are not indexed, and Google says those pages are not indexed "but not necessarily because of an error".
Do I need to fix it?
Only if the page is one you want customers to find. Start with a simple question: if a stranger typed your service and town into Google, would you want this page to come up? If the answer is no, you have nothing to fix. If it's yes, use the table.
| The situation | What it probably means | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| The site or the page is only a few days old | Google has not got round to it yet. | Wait. Make sure the page is linked from your home page. |
| It is one of your main pages: services, prices, contact | Worth a nudge, because customers need to find it. | Link to it from the home page, then request indexing once in URL Inspection. |
| It is a thank-you page, a test page or an old copy | Nobody would search for it. | Leave it alone, or delete the page if you no longer need it. |
| It has sat there for weeks and no page on your site links to it | Google may have found it only through your sitemap. | Add a normal link to it from a page that matters. |
| The status turns up on most of the site, not one page | Something wider may be wrong, such as a slow or struggling host. | Ask whoever hosts the site whether it has been slow or going down. |
The "probably" matters. Google's help doesn't tell you the reason for each page, so the middle column is a sensible reading, not a diagnosis. If the page has been listed for months while your other pages are crawled normally, it's worth the two steps below.
How long should I wait?
Longer than feels reasonable. Google's help says that if your page or site is new, you should wait a few days for it to find and crawl it, and that it can take up to a few weeks before Google crawls some or all of a site. It also says indexing is never instant, even when you submit a crawl request directly.
What can I do to help Google get to the page?
- Link to it from a page that matters. Google says it uses links to find new pages to crawl, so a page nothing points to is easy to overlook. Add a link from your home page or a related page, using a normal link with a web address in it, because Google's guidance on crawlable links says it generally follows only standard links, not buttons that run a script.
- Make sure the page is in your sitemap. A sitemap is a list of your pages that you hand to Google. Our guide to whether you need a sitemap covers it.
- Request indexing once. Paste the address into the URL Inspection tool in Search Console and use the request button. You need to be an owner or full user of the Search Console property. Google's page on asking Google to recrawl says crawling can take anywhere from a few days to a few weeks.
None of this promises the page gets indexed. It removes the common reasons Google has had no easy way to find it.
What should I not do?
Don't press the request button again every day: Google says repeating it won't speed anything up. Don't pay anyone who promises to get your pages indexed. Nobody outside Google controls that, and the steps above cost nothing. And don't rewrite a page that is simply waiting its turn.
When is it worth asking for help?
If the status covers most of your pages, or your main pages have waited for months with links pointing at them, something about the site itself may need a look, and that's a job for whoever hosts it or built it. If the problem is a different Search Console label, our guide to "excluded by noindex tag" covers the other common one, and if the whole site is missing, see why a new website gets no visitors.
We build small business sites for free first, and you only pay if you want to keep yours (setup from £495, then from £69 a month). The wider job of being found is in the fix your website and get found hub, and if you'd like a hand, tell us about your business.
Frequently asked questions
Does "Discovered, currently not indexed" mean Google has penalised my site?
Nothing in Google's Page indexing report help describes it as a penalty. Google says pages in the Not indexed group have not been indexed, but not necessarily because of an error. For this status the page was found but not crawled yet.
Should I keep pressing "Request indexing"?
No. Google's help says that requesting a recrawl several times for the same address will not get it crawled any faster, and that there is a quota for submitting individual addresses. Ask once, then leave it.
Is it the same as "Crawled, currently not indexed"?
No. This status means Google has not visited the page yet. The other one is a separate status in the same report, so check which words Search Console actually shows before you follow any advice.
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