Indexation error – Google Update
TL;DR Sometimes pages disappear from Google and it isn’t your fault. In autumn 2020 Google confirmed two indexing bugs within a few weeks. Here is what happened then and, more usefully, how to check quickly whether a sudden drop is caused by Google or by your site. What happened with Google’s indexing in autumn 2020? […]
TL;DR
- In September and October 2020 Google confirmed indexing bugs, not algorithm updates: pages dropped out of the index without any noindex tag.
- The bugs affected canonicalization, mobile indexing, news and Top Stories; large news and e-commerce sites lost key categories and products for days.
- Today Google reports such incidents on the Google Search Status Dashboard. Check it before you change anything on your site.
- If the problem is on Google’s side, pages usually return without action; requesting indexing for key URLs can speed this up.
Sometimes pages disappear from Google and it isn’t your fault. In autumn 2020 Google confirmed two indexing bugs within a few weeks. Here is what happened then and, more usefully, how to check quickly whether a sudden drop is caused by Google or by your site.
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What happened with Google’s indexing in autumn 2020?
| Date | What happened |
|---|---|
| September 2020 | Site owners report pages dropping out of the index without any explicit noindex. At first it seemed to affect only news. |
| 29 September 2020 | Google confirms the problem and says it has been fixed. Reports from site owners show it isn’t. |
| 12 October 2020 | Google confirms another indexing issue, this time affecting canonicalization and mobile indexing. |
| around 14 October 2020 | Google says the issues are fixed; ranking trackers still show strong volatility for several days. |
The most significant problems were related to canonicalization, indexing of mobile versions, indexing of news and the Top Stories section, and indexing of sports results. The sites most at risk were large news and e-commerce sites, which could lose key categories or products from the index. It was never fully clear whether the volatility after the fix was a separate algorithm update or a continuation of the bug.
How it looked at the time (September–October 2020)
Rank-tracking tools recorded strong ranking volatility in October 2020:
Is it your site or a Google bug?
Sometimes pages drop out of the index because of a problem on Google’s side. In September and October 2020, for example, Google confirmed bugs that removed pages from the index and affected canonicalization, mobile indexing and Top Stories; large news and e-commerce sites lost key pages for days. Before you change anything on your site:
- Check the Google Search Status Dashboard for ongoing crawling, indexing or serving incidents and ranking updates.
- Check whether the drop is site-wide or specific: if many unrelated sites report the same issue and your Page indexing report shows no new errors, it’s likely Google’s side.
- Rule out your own causes using the checklist above (noindex, robots.txt, redirects, server errors).
- Wait and monitor: after Google fixes a bug, pages usually return without action. Requesting indexing for key URLs in URL Inspection can speed this up.
- Don’t react hastily to ranking volatility during a core update; compare data after the rollout ends. See why one-off optimization doesn’t last.
How can you reduce the impact of the next bug?
You can’t protect a site completely from Google’s errors, but you can make it easier for Google to index it correctly and spot problems faster:
- Keep a clean structure and XML sitemaps for key sections, so Google can rediscover pages quickly.
- Monitor the Page indexing report in Search Console and set alerts for sudden drops in indexed pages or clicks.
- Make sure the mobile version has the same content as desktop. Google completed the move to mobile-first indexing in 2023, so the mobile page is the one that gets indexed.
- Don’t make big changes during an incident or a core update. Compare data after the rollout ends (why one-off optimization doesn’t last).
Let your customers find you, wherever they look.
FAQ
How do I know if Google has an indexing problem?
Check the Google Search Status Dashboard. Google lists ongoing crawling, indexing and serving incidents and ranking updates there.
Should I change my site when pages drop out of the index?
First rule out your own causes (noindex, robots.txt, redirects, server errors). If they’re fine and Google reports an incident, wait: pages usually return once the bug is fixed.
Was the autumn 2020 problem an algorithm update?
No. Google described it as indexing bugs. Ranking volatility at the same time made it look like an update.
Sources
- Google Search Status Dashboard
- Google Search Console Help: Page indexing report
- Google Search Central Blog: Mobile-first indexing has landed (2023)
- Search Engine Journal: Google algorithm update history
About the author: At the time of writing, Marcin Gaworski was an SEO expert at Insightland. Insightland is a Wrocław-based SEO and GEO agency, part of the Hexe Capital Tech Hub. Contact us.
