SEO finding
A page with search clicks is set to noindex, redirects, or is no longer indexed
SEO Error Severity: High
Part of the audit Search traffic checks. Finding id: seo.trafficPageNotServable.
What it costs you
The page drops out of search results and its clicks go to zero within weeks.
What to do
[fix]
What it checks
- Hidden page that still gets visitors
- Redirected page that still gets visitors
- Pages dropped out of search results
How to fix it
Remove the noindex or accept the loss
- View the source of [url] and its response headers to see where the noindex comes from: a robots meta tag or an X-Robots-Tag header.
- If the page should be found, remove it there. If many pages are reported at once, look for one cause: a template change, a plugin setting or a staging setting that went live.
- If the noindex is meant, the [clicks] clicks will stop. Send those visitors somewhere: link to the page that replaces it.
How to check: Recrawl the page: it is indexable. Inspect the URL in Search Console.
Check where the redirect leads
- Open [url] and see where you land.
- If the target replaces the page, make sure the redirect is a 301 and close the finding.
- If the target is the home page or an unrelated page, point the redirect at the closest match, or restore the page.
How to check: curl -sI [url] answers 301 with a Location that names the replacing page.
Find out why the page is not indexed
- Inspect [url] in Search Console. It names the reason the page is not indexed.
- Fix that reason, then ask for indexing again from the same screen.
How to check: Inspect the URL in Search Console again after a few days.
Thresholds
| Name | Default | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
min_clicks | 10 | Pages with fewer search clicks than this in 90 days are not reported. |
How to verify by hand
The URL inspection in Search Console for the same page.
What this relies on
A page that earned search clicks in the last 90 days is one the owner wants found.