Google Search Console Indexing Issues – Why Isn’t My Blog Showing Up?

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You've been running your blog for over two years, published more than 200 quality posts, and traffic is flowing steadily from Naver and Daum. But if you're getting no traffic from Google at all, this isn't something to just wait out. This is a common problem many bloggers face—and it's tied directly to how Google handles “Indexing Delay” based on your blog’s trust and authority. In this guide, we’ll walk through Grace’s real-world example and offer a comprehensive strategy to solve Google indexing issues.

"A flat-style illustration of a man analyzing Google Search Console indexing issues, holding a magnifying glass while viewing a screen with red warning signs and a 'Not indexed' status.

Even if your sitemap, meta tags, and canonical settings are all correct, Google may still delay indexing unless it sees strong trust signals. Let’s explore how to fix that.

 

 

 

1. Common Reasons Google Delays Indexing

  • robots.txt blocking – Prevents crawling if misconfigured
  • meta robots tag error – e.g., <meta name="robots" content="noindex">
  • Missing sitemap – Google doesn't know your page structure
  • Low content quality – Thin or duplicate posts
  • Low site authority – Lacks internal/external linking signals
  • Incorrect canonical tags – Points to a category instead of the actual post

In Grace’s case, all technical checks passed, and the content quality was solid. The reason Google still didn’t index the site was that it hadn’t yet built enough trust in the domain.

2. Pre-Indexing Checklist: What to Confirm First

First, open the post's source and check for <meta name="robots"> tag. If it's not present, that’s fine—Google assumes "index, follow" by default. Next, inspect your <link rel="canonical"> tag to ensure each post points to itself. Grace had this configured correctly, so no issues there.

Then verify that your sitemap and RSS feed are both submitted and marked “Success” in Google Search Console. If those are fine, the next step is to send stronger indexing signals to Google.

 

 

3. Practical Strategies to Build Trust with Google

① Request Indexing for 10 Key Posts

Use the URL Inspection tool in Search Console to manually request indexing for 10 key posts. Choose long-form, well-structured content with visuals. If even 1 or 2 get indexed, it could trigger broader indexing of your site.

② Strengthen Internal Linking

Internal navigation must be strong and logical. Add 2–3 related post links to every article and show popular or recent posts in sidebars or footers.

③ Gain External Signals

Share content summaries on external platforms like Naver Blog, Brunch, Instagram, or X (Twitter), and link back to your blog. These links act as authority boosters in Google’s eyes.

④ Build a Cornerstone Authority Page

Select one strong piece of content and make it a hub, linking multiple related posts to it. Google trusts such hubs more and tends to crawl linked content along with it.

4. Optimizing Images for Google Discover

To qualify for Google Discover, use high-resolution images at least 1200px wide. Grace optimized her visuals to 1200 x 628 or 1200 x 900 pixels. WebP or high-quality JPEG is best, and the following meta tag must be added in the page's HEAD: 

<meta name="robots" content="max-image-preview:large">

This enables large thumbnail previews on Discover, improving visibility and click-through rates.

 

 

5. Bonus Tips to Boost Blog Authority

  • Create an “About the Author” page explaining your expertise, background, and mission
  • Create category-based cornerstone pages that cluster related content
  • Ensure minimal topic overlap and clear hierarchy between posts
  • Improve page speed, mobile responsiveness, and HTTPS security

For seasoned bloggers like Grace, once Google starts indexing your posts, growth accelerates. But to reach that point, you must clearly and repeatedly show Google that your blog is trustworthy, structured, and actively referenced on the web.

Conclusion: Don’t Wait—Trigger Google Indexing

Google indexing isn’t automatic—it needs to be earned. If your blog is technically sound, your job now is to send clear signals of content value and trust. Request indexing on key posts, link everything internally, and push your best content externally. Your two years of consistent blogging is now ready to break through Google's visibility wall.