In Google Search Console, this status indicates that Google has found the page but has not yet crawled or indexed it. It’s normal for Google not to index every page on a website, and there are specific steps a page undergoes in this process:
- Detection: Googlebot identifies the URL through sitemaps or internal/external links.
- Queuing: The URL is added to a queue for future crawling and potential indexing.
- Crawling: Googlebot retrieves the page from the server and analyzes it.
- Indexing: The page either receives the status “Crawled – Not Currently Indexed” or is added to the index.
- Crawling Priority: Googlebot may prioritize other URLs, which could delay crawling of newly detected pages.
- Technical Issues: Server performance can impact crawling, especially for large sites. Slow response times or HTTP 500 errors may cause Googlebot to reduce its crawl rate to prevent overloading the server.
- Content Quality: One of the most common causes is low-quality or thin content. If Google detects a trend of poor content quality on your site, it may choose not to index certain pages.
To encourage Google to index a page that appears “suspended,” consider these steps:
- Give it time, as some pages may simply be in a queue awaiting crawling.
- Check server performance metrics to ensure they are optimal.
- Improve content quality on affected pages.
- Strengthen internal links to help Googlebot discover and understand new content.
If your pages are stuck in “suspended” status, they won’t appear in search results, which can impact site visibility and traffic. Consulting an SEO expert can provide valuable insights, including:
- Understanding where to prioritize SEO efforts,
- Detecting broader site quality issues or technical problems,
- Addressing deficiencies to gain an advantage over competitors.
SEM MasterPlus: Multichannel Content Marketing.
