I want to shine a light on an issue that often catches website owners off guard—what to do when you notice a sudden drop in your website content ranking, especially after a Google core update or algorithm change.

The most common reason for this is Google deindexing website content, which is why it’s important to check-in on your website’s content indexing status in Google Search Console (GSC).

Website Content Ranking Monitoring During Google Updates

Whenever Google rolls out a core update (or any algorithm tweak), it’s absolutely crucial to keep a close eye on your site’s analytics. You should be checking:

• Google Search Console
• Google Analytics
• Your ad campaigns
• Reporting tools like SE Ranking or Semrush

You want to make sure everything looks copacetic—no unexpected spikes, no unexplained drops. If you do see a sudden dip in impressions or content rank, that’s a red flag: your content might have been de-indexed.

How to Confirm If Your Content Was De-Indexed

It’s normal for some things (like images or videos) not to be indexed. But if you notice important landing or blog content pages listed as ‘Crawled — Currently Not Indexed,’ it’s time to dig deeper.

Let’s walk through how to check your site’s indexing status in Google Search Console:

1. Open Google Search Console.
2. On the left menu, go to Pages (under the Indexing section).
3. Look at the bar graph:
   • Green = Indexed
   • Grey = Not indexed
4. Scroll down to the section called Why pages aren’t indexed.
5. Click on Crawled – currently not indexed.
   • Here, you’ll see a list of URLs (including images, videos, blogs, landing pages) that Google has crawled but hasn’t indexed.

Website Content Ranking – Understanding Why Your Content Is Not Indexed

As you look over the URLs in the Crawled — currently not indexed page, you will see a variety URLs from your page. These could be images, videos, landing pages, or blogs. 

Once you find a URL that you know you want be indexed, simply:

• Hover over the URL and click on it (don’t use the copy or go-to options).
• Click Inspect URL.

This gives you a goldmine of info:

• Which sitemap(s) the URL appears on
• Referring pages (internal links)
• Last crawl date and time
• Crawl status (allowed or not)
• Fetch status (successful or not)
• Indexing allowed (yes or no)

Submitting Deindexed Content URLs for Indexing with Google Search Console

If you spot any issues—like missing sitemaps, no referring pages, crawl not allowed, or the page is marked as no-indexed—fix those first. 

This might mean:

• Updating your sitemaps
• Changing the page from noindex, nofollow to index, follow
• Improving your internal linking

Once you’ve made the necessary updates, click ‘Request Indexing’. Google will test the URL and, if all’s well, re-crawl and (hopefully) re-index your page.

What If Your Page Still Isn’t Indexed?

If, after a week or so, your content is still not indexed, it’s time for a deeper review:

• Is your content still relevant and helpful?
• Is it written for your users (not just search engines)?
• Is your internal linking solid?
• Does your sitemap need updated?

If you’ve checked all the boxes and still have issues, try requesting indexing again. But it may also be time to rethink your content strategy for that page.

Website Content Ranking – Fast Results After a Core Update

This actually happened to me! I had a blog post about Google Screened vs. Google Guaranteed that got deindexed right after the June 30th Google Core update. I requested indexing, and sure enough, Google re-indexed the post—and Be the Page SEO was ranking for those terms in less than 24 hours.

Google Screened & Guaranteed Terms – No Ranking June 3rd

Google Screened & Guaranteed – Ranking Terms June 4th

Google Screened & Guaranteed – Rankinng Terms Continued to June 7th

Don’t Forget Everything Search Console Offers

It’s easy to overlook all the features in Google Search Console. Stay on top of:

• Which pages are indexed or not indexed
• Sitemap status
• Internal linking
• Crawl errors

Need Help withWebsite Content Ranking During Google Updates?

If you have questions or need a hand, don’t hesitate to reach out. We never charge for consultations or quick advice. Our goal is to help you succeed online—no strings attached!

Stay proactive, stay informed, and remember: a little monitoring goes a long way.