What is website health and why does it matter?

If you own a website, you’ve probably heard terms like site health but what does website health really mean, and why should you care?

Think of your website like a car. Just like a car needs regular check-ups, oil changes, tire rotations, and engine diagnostics, your website also needs maintenance to keep it running smoothly. A “healthy” website loads fast, works well on mobile devices, is free of broken links, and is easy for both visitors and search engines to navigate. When your website is in good health, it provides a better experience for users and ranks higher on Google.

Site health is a key aspect of technical SEO, and it can often overwhelm website owners. While technical SEO does involve complex issues related to site structure that may require expert knowledge, most everyday problems are relatively simple to address. The good news? You don’t need to be an expert to monitor your site’s health. Free tools like Google Search Console provide a clear overview of any issues, allowing you to focus on what truly matters.

In this guide, we’ll break down website health in simple terms, explain why it’s important, and show you how to use Google Search Console to monitor your site, without the stress!

Key Takeaways:

Website health affects user experience and search rankings.
Common health issues include slow loading speed, broken links, and mobile usability problems.
Google Search Console is a free tool that helps website owners track and fix key issues.

Outline: What Is Website Health and Why Does It Matter?

1. Introduction

Explanation of website health in simple terms.
Why website health matters for user experience and search rankings.
How some SEOs exaggerate issues and how website owners can stay informed.
Introduction to Google Search Console (GSC) as a free tool for monitoring site health.

2. Understanding the Google Search Console Page Indexing Report

The Page Indexing Report in GSC shows which pages are indexed (or not) by Google.
Issues reported in this section can affect your site’s visibility in search results.
Below is a breakdown of all possible issues GSC may report, with a brief explanation.

Understanding the Google Search Console Page Indexing Report

The Page Indexing Report in GSC shows which pages are indexed (or not) by Google.
Issues reported in this section can affect your site’s visibility in search results.
Below is a breakdown of all possible issues GSC may report, with a brief explanation.

List of 15 Page Indexing Issues in Google Search Console

Server errors (5xx) – The server failed to load your webpage.
Redirect error – A page has an incorrect or broken redirect.
Blocked by robots.txt – The page is blocked from being indexed by a robots.txt rule.
Blocked due to unauthorized request (401) – The page requires login credentials to access.
Blocked due to access forbidden (403) – The server is blocking Google from accessing the page.
Soft 404 – The page looks like a “Not Found” error but doesn’t return a proper 404 status code.
Not Found (404) – The page does not exist.
Page with redirect – The page is redirected to another URL.
Duplicate without user-selected canonical – Google found duplicate content without a clear preferred version.
Duplicate, Google chose a different canonical than user – Google indexed a different version of the page than the one you specified.
Discovered – currently not indexed – Google found the page but hasn’t indexed it yet.
Crawled – currently not indexed – Google has crawled the page but chose not to index it.
Alternate page with proper canonical tag – A page is marked as an alternative version of another and won’t be indexed separately.
Page removed due to legal reasons – The page was removed from Google’s index for legal reasons (e.g., DMCA takedown).
Page blocked due to other 4xx issue – The page is inaccessible due to another 4xx error.

Sorting Issues by Severity

Minor Issues (Usually No Action Needed)

Page with redirect – Redirects are normal if set up correctly.
Alternate page with proper canonical tag – Google correctly identifies alternate versions of a page.
Duplicate, Google chose a different canonical than user – Not always a problem unless the wrong page is ranking.
Discovered – currently not indexed – May just mean Google hasn’t gotten around to indexing it yet.

Moderate Issues (May Need Attention)

Crawled – currently not indexed – Indicates Google is choosing not to index the page, possibly due to low quality or duplicate content.
Soft 404 – A missing or low-value page that doesn’t properly return a 404 status code.
Blocked by robots.txt – If unintentional, it can prevent important pages from being indexed.
Duplicate without user-selected canonical – Can cause ranking issues if duplicate content is indexed.

Serious Issues (Require Professional Attention)

Server errors (5xx) – Google can’t access your site, which can significantly hurt rankings.
Redirect error – Broken or incorrect redirects can lead to lost traffic.
Blocked due to unauthorized request (401) / Forbidden (403) – Google is unable to access important pages.
Not Found (404) (for important pages) – If key pages are missing, it can harm your site’s rankings.
Page removed due to legal reasons – Needs immediate attention if the removal was unexpected.

How to Monitor and Fix Issues Using Google Search Console

How to access the Page Indexing Report in Google Search Console.

Understanding the “Why pages aren’t indexed” section.

Steps to fix common issues, including:

Checking robots.txt for accidental blocks.
Resolving redirect and 404 errors.
Improving page quality to encourage indexing.