Google Investigates Reports of Indexing Delays

Google is actively looking into issues surrounding delayed indexing in Google Search, acknowledging a problem that is impacting a «small number of sites.» The company is diligently working to pinpoint the root cause behind these delays.

In an official statement, Google stated, «Google is investigating reports about delayed indexing in Google Search that’s affecting a small number of sites. We’re working on identifying the root cause. Next update will be within 12 hours.»

The onset of the issue dates back to early morning hours, with reports surfacing around 1:30 am ET on Thursday, December 21. Initial observations suggested that the problem was localized to sites in India and specific regions, or possibly tied to websites featuring both standard HTML pages and AMP alternatives.

Contrary to initial beliefs, prominent sites like those of The Wall Street Journal, NY Times, and Washington Post do not appear to be affected, along with the sites associated with the author and the Search Engine Roundtable.

Google emphasizes that only a «small number of sites» are impacted, refraining from disclosing specific details about the affected and unaffected sites.

For those affected, there is limited recourse at the moment other than to wait for Google to resolve the issue on their end. The company has committed to providing an update within 12 hours, with the hope of a swifter resolution.

This incident underscores the potential impact on websites experiencing issues with indexing, leading to disruptions in traffic from Google Search. It is crucial to note that this specific problem is recent, arising on the morning in question. If website owners have encountered prolonged indexing and ranking challenges over the past few days or months, it likely pertains to broader issues tied to Google Search algorithm updates.

A positive turn occurred around 5:30 pm ET when Google issued an update, confirming the resolution of the indexing problem. Google stated, «We identified and fixed the issue with indexing. Sites may still experience some delayed indexing until the previously affected URLs have been reprocessed. There will be no more updates.»