Google SEO Console Errors: A Comprehensive Guide

Google sends various notifications about your website's SEO performance. Here's what you need to know about common messages and how to handle them.

Mobile-First Indexing When enabled, this indicates your site is optimized for mobile devices. Google primarily uses your mobile version for indexing and ranking, reflecting modern browsing habits. No action is needed if you receive this notification.

Mobile Usability Issues These alerts indicate elements that aren't mobile-friendly, such as:

• Clickable elements too close together
• Text too small to read
• Touch elements not properly sized

Parallel Tracking A Google Ads feature for click measurement providers. If you notice traffic decline since October 30, 2018, review Google's automatic tagging documentation and consult your click management provider.

Robots.txt Issues Common restricted URLs include:

• /search
• /?author=
• /?tag=
• /?month=
• /?view=
• /?format=

These restrictions are normal and help maintain SEO best practices.

Page Indexing Issues

• Pages marked with "noindex" can be crawled but won't appear in search results
• Cart and checkout pages automatically receive noindex tags
• Homepage duplicate URLs are normal (example.com vs example.com/home)

Structured Data Warnings These indicate missing markup code. Your site remains indexed and eligible for rich snippets. Use Google's Data Highlighter to tag information manually.

Common Crawling Errors

1. 404 Errors

• Fix by setting up 301/302 redirects
• Check for error-suggesting phrases like "no longer available" or "out of stock"

2. Redirect Errors Often related to:

• HTTP to HTTPS redirects
• Domain variations (example.com to www.example.com)

3. "Found - Currently Not Indexed" Indicates pages discovered but not yet crawled by Google.

Fraudulent Behavior Flags If flagged:

1. Verify your site with Google Search Console
2. Remove potentially malicious content
3. Request a Google review

Remember, third-party SEO tools may provide misleading results for CMS-based websites. Focus on Google's direct feedback for the most accurate assessment of your site's SEO performance.

Stay updated with Google's documentation for the latest SEO best practices and requirements.

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