What does this statement from Google really mean?

Martin Splitt, Developer Advocate at Google, dismantles a widespread belief: aiming for a 100% indexing rate is not necessary. Contrary to popular belief, a site with 30% indexed pages can work perfectly well if those 30% are the strategic URLs. Google does not penalize a site that has many non-indexed pages as long as the essential ones are covered.

This official position changes the interpretation of the indexing report in Search Console. The categories 'Excluded' or 'Crawled, not indexed' are not automatically red flags. Google now clearly distinguishes between two categories: the pages you want indexed, and those that can remain unindexed without impacting your performance.

What does Google mean by 'core content'?

This is where the statement becomes vague. Google does not precisely define what constitutes core content versus secondary content. For an e-commerce site, does it only refer to the active product listings? Should categories, filter pages, and old collections be included?

In practice, core content refers to traffic-generating pages: those that meet a clear search intent, support your SEO strategy, and convert. Archive pages, deeply paginated pages, or parameterized variants can often remain unindexed without negative consequences.

How does Google decide what deserves indexing?

Google uses several signals to decide if a page is worth indexing: crawl budget, perceived content quality, potential duplication, popularity via internal and external links. A page can be crawled but not indexed if Google feels it does not provide differentiated value or dilutes the overall quality of the site.

This selection process is automatic and opaque. Google does not communicate a specific threshold or clear criteria. What works for site A may fail for site B, depending on domain authority, content freshness, and thematic consistency.

• A site can perform with an indexing rate of 30% if the strategic content is well indexed.
• Non-indexed pages are not automatically a SEO problem.
• Google does not precisely define 'core content', leaving room for interpretation.
• Crawl budget and perceived quality heavily influence indexing decisions.
• The Search Console indexing report should be viewed as an indicator, not a performance score.

Is this statement consistent with real-world observations?

Yes and no. On sites with established authority, it is indeed observed that many non-indexed pages do not harm overall performance. A media site with 100,000 articles can rank well even if 40% of its archives are never indexed. The problem arises for new sites or those with low authority, where every page matters to build visibility.

Google simplifies a more complex reality. In some ultra-competitive sectors, a non-indexed category page can block a significant amount of traffic. Saying there is no optimal ratio is true in theory, but ignoring orphaned or poorly linked pages remains a tactical error, even if they are not 'core'.

What nuances should be added to this official position?

Google does not specify how to identify core content before it is indexed. This is a circular reasoning: a page is core if Google indexes it, but how do you know if it deserves indexing without real-world testing? [To verify]: Google does not indicate if non-indexed pages consume crawl budget unnecessarily.

Another unclear point: the statement does not distinguish the reasons for non-indexing. A page excluded by noindex does not have the same implication as a page 'Crawled, not indexed' due to duplicate or weak content. Grouping everything together as 'not a problem' is reductive and may obscure structural issues.

In what cases does this rule not apply?

On an e-commerce site with fast-moving products, a non-indexed product page while it is in stock and there is demand results in a direct loss of revenue. The same applies to news sites: a published news item that is not indexed within 30 minutes becomes outdated. 'Core content' is thus temporal, not permanent.

Sites with low domain authority cannot afford to leave strategic pages unindexed. Google crawls them infrequently, and every URL counts in establishing topicality and thematic depth. On these sites, a low indexing rate is not neutral; it often indicates technical or quality issues.

What should you do with this information in practice?

The first action: identify your strategic pages. List the URLs that drive your business (active product pages, service pages, pillar content, SEO landing pages). Check in Search Console that these pages are properly indexed. If they are not, dig into the reasons: robots.txt, meta tags, content quality, insufficient internal linking.

Next, segment your site into three categories: core content, useful secondary content, and outdated or unnecessary content. For unnecessary content, apply noindex or deletion. For secondary content, optimize internal linking and quality, but do not expect systematic indexing.

What mistakes should you avoid after this statement?

Do not fall into the trap of inaction. Just because Google says 'a low rate is not a problem' does not mean you should ignore the signals in Search Console. A 'Crawled, not indexed' page on strategic content remains a problem to fix, not an acceptable fate.

Avoid overreacting by blindly cleaning up your non-indexed URLs without analysis. Some pages provide UX or conversion value even if Google does not index them. Deleting a page that converts simply because it is not indexed is a strategic mistake.

How to effectively audit your site's indexing?

Use Search Console combined with a Screaming Frog or Oncrawl crawl. Compare the URLs Google crawls, those it indexes, and those generating traffic. Discrepancies reveal areas of friction. A page crawled 10 times a month but never indexed despite unique content warrants thorough investigation.

Cross-reference this data with Google Analytics to identify pages that receive external traffic (backlinks, social media) but do not rank because they are unindexed. These pages are often missed opportunities that can be easily corrected with some internal linking and on-page optimization.

• List all your strategic pages and check their indexing status in Search Console.
• Segment your site into three categories: core, secondary, unnecessary.
• Fix the causes of non-indexing on high-potential business pages.
• Avoid blindly deleting non-indexed pages without analyzing their UX and conversion value.
• Cross-reference Search Console, crawl, and Analytics data to identify missed opportunities.
• Optimize the internal linking of secondary pages you wish to have indexed.