Support Team
posted this
31 January 2025
Dear John,
Thanks for reaching out to us
These indexing issues reported by Google Search Console can be addressed as follows:
1. Alternate Page with Proper Canonical Tag
• Ensure that each page has a proper canonical tag that points to itself (if it’s the original) or to the correct canonical version.
• Check for duplicate content across multiple URLs and specify the preferred URL using the rel=“canonical” tag.
2. Soft 404 Errors
• A soft 404 means the page looks like an error page but doesn’t return a proper 404 HTTP response.
• Make sure non-existent pages return a real 404 status and not a 200 (OK).
• If the page is valid, ensure it has meaningful content and is not mistakenly detected as an empty or irrelevant page.
3. Not Found (404) Errors
• These pages no longer exist or have broken links.
• Check your site for broken links and either restore the missing pages or redirect them (301 redirect) to the most relevant existing page.
4. Duplicate Without User-Selected Canonical
• Google has detected multiple versions of the same page but doesn’t know which one to index.
• Define a canonical URL for each duplicate page to specify which one should be indexed.
• Use Google Search Console to inspect the affected pages and see which URL Google considers the main version.
Steps to Fix:
✅ Check the Canonical Tags for duplicate and alternate pages.
✅ Fix Broken Links or implement 301 Redirects for missing pages.
✅ Ensure all pages with valuable content return a 200 status code, not a soft 404.
✅ Use Google Search Console’s “URL Inspection Tool” to see how Google sees each page.
✅ Submit a new sitemap to Google Search Console after making changes.
If you need further assistance, feel free to ask!
...................................................
Sincerely,
Ahmad.
Nicepage Support Team
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