During the past two weeks, I’ve been observing a sudden spike in “Crawled – currently not indexed” pages in Google Search Console, especially on my client’s (very large) websites.
The trend started around May 26–29, 2025, and upon researching it I found out that multiple webmasters reported the exact same issue across a broad range of sites – regardless of the industry – suggesting something changed in Google’s indexing behavior during that period.
Timeline of reports: Site owners first noticed the issue in the final week of May 2025. By early June, SEO forums and social media were buzzing with similar reports.
Many GSC charts showed a sharp inflection point on May 27, 2025, where the count of excluded pages (especially in the “Crawled – currently not indexed” category) spiked dramatically.
Theories on the cause of the deindexation spike
The big question is why so many pages, across so many sites, were suddenly deemed unworthy of indexing.
With no immediate confirmation from Google, several theories have emerged:
Algo update (unconfirmed)
Many SEOs suspect that Google quietly rolled out an indexing-related update or adjustment.
Google is constantly tweaking its algorithms, and this appears to be an unannounced change focused on indexation. The consistent timing suggests it was not random fluctuation.
Some have dubbed it a possible “index pruning update,” where Google raised the bar on what it will keep indexed.
Barry Schwartz of Search Engine Roundtable noted he’d seen numerous complaints of Google indexing fewer pages since late May.
The question remains whether this was an intentional algorithm update targeted at low-value content or some change in Google’s internal indexing processes. Given Google’s silence, it’s being considered a “silent” update – real in effect, but not officially acknowledged via usual channels.
Quality-based pruning of content
A prevailing theory is that Google is cracking down on low-value or duplicate content in its index. SEO expert Marie Haynes analyzed affected sites and found a common pattern: pages that were removed tended to be ones with thin, unoriginal, or low-value content.
For example, on one travel site, many old blog posts that simply rehashed information found elsewhere (i.e. paraphrased content) were deindexed.
On another site (a recipe blog), simple Q&A posts like “What is the difference between X and Y?” were dropped – these are the kind of straightforward queries that Google’s own AI (or other sites) can answer easily.
An attorney website saw thin “SEO fluff” articles (e.g. generic safety tips that added no new insight) get removed.
This suggests Google’s algorithms might have reassessed content quality and originality at scale, and culled pages that didn’t meet a certain usefulness threshold.
Notably, Google added the word “paraphrased” 22 times in its latest Quality Rater Guidelines update, emphasizing original content.
Crawl budget or index capacity adjustments
Another angle is that Google might be adjusting its crawl/index budgets, especially on large sites.
Google doesn’t index every page it crawls – it prioritizes pages that are deemed more important or useful.
For huge websites (think millions of pages), Google might have decided to index a smaller proportion of pages to control index bloat.
A Twitter user from Consainsights noted that even “active business websites with good content” saw pages deindexed on May 27–29.
This hints it wasn’t just “garbage” pages removed; it could also be pages that were fine but not critical.
If Google’s systems recalibrated how many pages of a site deserve to be indexed, some less-trafficked pages might have been trimmed out.
Real estate portals are a prime example – they host huge numbers of pages (property listings, agent profiles, etc.), many of which are similar or transient (e.g. expired listings).
It’s plausible Google quietly decided to be more selective on such sites (indexing, say, the newest or most relevant listings and dropping older or duplicate ones) as a way to manage resources. However, without official word, it’s unclear if crawl budget specifically played a role or if it’s a side effect of the quality assessment (since low-value pages also often have low crawl priority).
Google’s generative AI and search changes
A few in the community speculated that this could tie into Google’s shift towards AI-generated answers (SGE – Search Generative Experience).
The logic is that if Google’s AI can answer certain questions directly, it might deem the underlying pages less necessary to index. For instance, simple definition or FAQ pages could be considered redundant if the answers are integrated into AI snippets.
This is more speculative, but it aligns with the observation that many deindexed pages were those offering very basic info.
Google might be anticipating fewer clicks to such content in an AI-assisted search landscape, thus cleaning them out. Still, Google has not explicitly linked SGE to indexing behavior, so treat this as a hypothesis.
Google’s response: “working as intended”
Despite the widespread chatter, Google has not issued a formal statement or blog post about this indexing change.
However, Google’s Search Liaison and public-facing channels remained quiet, suggesting they consider this a normal fluctuation.
The closest thing to an official response came from John Mueller in early June:
John Mueller on Bluesky: John replied to SEO concerns on June 5 via Bluesky.
When asked about Google seemingly dropping millions of pages, he first requested specifics: “Which millions of pages? Happy to hear specifics.”
Once provided with examples, he analyzed a few and reported: “Based on these, I don’t see a technical issue on our side (or on any of the sites). Our systems make adjustments in what’s crawled & indexed regularly. That’s normal and expected.”.
In a follow-up, he added, “From looking at other examples, I don’t see an issue. We don’t index all content, and what we index can change over time.”.
These statements indicate that Google does not view this as a bug or error to fix, but rather the result of routine algorithmic behavior.
Related Google commentary: While not directly about this May 2025 incident, it’s worth noting a recent insight shared by Google’s Martin Splitt (developer advocate) that gives context.
Splitt explained why some pages fall out of the index after initially being indexed: “That means that we thought they might be good, but we found that users don’t really use them in search results. So we thought, like, yeah, okay, we gave it a chance but, ehh… others are doing better here.”
My personal observations
I analyzed multiple properties I manage — both my own and client websites — to identify patterns that aren’t just anecdotal but consistently reproducible.
Here’s what stood out:
- It’s disproportionately affecting larger websites. On smaller sites (<10K pages), I saw little to no change in indexation. But on larger portals — especially those exceeding 50,000 URLs — the drop in indexed pages was significant.
- Google hit the gas on crawling in late April. Across nearly all affected domains, there was a noticeable crawl spike at the end of April 2025. It felt like Google was gearing up to reevaluate the entire site structure, likely to reassess content quality sitewide. Within weeks, pages started dropping from the index.
- Internal linking isn’t saving thin pages anymore. Previously, a solid internal linking strategy could lift the perceived importance of lower-value pages. Not this time. I’ve seen pages with dozens of internal links still fall out of the index because the content itself didn’t meet a quality threshold. Google appears to be ignoring signals like link equity if the content doesn’t hold up.
- “Thin content” applies not just to word count, but depth. On one of my directory websites, I noticed a very clear pattern: pages with only 1–2 listings got deindexed, even though the templates were clean, structured, and linked internally. It’s as if Google set a soft threshold — no real value for the user if the page is that sparse. Pages with 4+ listings remained indexed.
- It looks like a deliberate index cleanup. It feels like Google made a conscious decision to shed index bloat, probably to improve SERP quality and prep for AI-generated results where redundancy becomes even more costly. What’s left in the index now seems to be pages with clear value, authority, or at least a minimum threshold of usefulness.
How to regain indexation (practical remedies)
Improve content quality & uniqueness
The top recommendation across the board is to audit and improve the content of pages that were excluded. If Google dropped them due to quality or redundancy, the only durable fix is making those pages better and more unique.
Revisit the deindexed pages and expand them with more useful content. This could mean adding practical examples, updating with the latest data, inserting original insights or analysis that wasn’t there before, etc.
The goal is to transform a mediocre page into one that a user (or Google’s algorithms) would deem worth reading. For instance, if you had a short FAQ page that was dropped, consider turning it into a comprehensive guide on the topic, with subheadings, visuals, and expert tips.
Show Google that the page is now substantially more valuable than it was.
Make the content truly original
If your page was basically saying what everyone else says, figure out how it can say something different. This might involve conducting your own research (even small surveys or experiments), incorporating user-generated content, or offering a unique opinion.
Google’s helpful content guidelines emphasize “experience” and “expertise” – first-hand knowledge, authoritative viewpoints, etc.
Address E-E-A-T elements
Now is a good time to add author bylines (with credentials), cite authoritative sources, and ensure your content is factually accurate.
These steps alone won’t force Google to index a page, but they can improve the perceived quality of the page. If part of Google’s decision was that your page looked low trust or low expertise, improving these signals could help in the long run.
Review your sitemaps
Make sure your XML sitemap is up-to-date with all the pages you want indexed.
While Google says a sitemap or re-submit isn’t needed for “crawled, not indexed” URLs, having them in the sitemap can’t hurt – it reminds Google these pages exist and are considered important.
Build or garner backlinks (external)
While one can’t magically summon backlinks, evaluating the backlink profile of deindexed pages is revealing.
In many cases, those pages had zero external links. That’s a hint: perhaps earning some backlinks could help in getting them re-indexed.
If you have pages that dropped out but you know they are high quality or have been improved to be so, actively promote them.
Share them on social media, in industry forums, or outreach to other sites that might find the content worth referencing. Even a handful of legitimate backlinks could signal to Google that real people value this page.
Leverage fresh content
Another strategy is to mention or incorporate the deindexed content into new content that Google will crawl.
For instance, if you publish a new blog post (which Google will likely crawl quickly), you could mention and link the old content within it (“As I discussed in [earlier article], …”). The new crawl might lead Googlebot to re-evaluate the old page. Coupling that with improved content on that old page and maybe a new external link or two can collectively tip the scales.
That said, not every page will earn backlinks, and that’s okay. Focus external link efforts on pages that truly matter for your strategy (landing pages, key blog posts, etc.).
Consider pruning or merging content
Sometimes the best course is to let go of certain pages. If upon review you determine a page really doesn’t serve a unique purpose, you have options: merge it with another page, 301-redirect it, or leave it unindexed.
Google essentially gave you a hint by not indexing it.
Have patience and monitor
After doing the above, there’s an element of wait-and-see.
Some pages might return to the index on their own over time, especially if the overall site gains more authority or if Google slightly relaxes whatever threshold it adjusted.
On Reddit, a common piece of advice for new sites facing a lot of “crawled, not indexed” was “this will fix itself with more backlinks and time”, meaning as the site matures, more pages will get indexed. While the recent event affected older sites too, the principle stands: continue to improve your site and earn Google’s trust back.
In the meantime, monitor your GSC Pages report weekly or monthly. Look for any changes – are previously excluded pages getting indexed after your efforts?
Are new pages suffering the same fate? If, for example, pages you improved get indexed, that’s a good sign your strategy worked. If not, you might need to revisit why Google still finds them unworthy. Also, keep an eye on SEO news – if Google makes further indexing changes or confirms anything, you’ll hear it there first.
One more tip: Use the URL inspection tool in GSC for specific URLs. It can tell you the last crawl date and if Google currently sees the page as indexed or not.
If you hit “Test Live URL” you can see if it’s eligible for indexing (i.e., no crawl issues). This can sometimes reveal if maybe Google thinks the page is still similar to others (check the Duplicate status or the Canonical chosen – Google might have decided another page is canonical over yours). If so, fix those duplicate content issues.
Looking ahead
It will be interesting to watch if Google or its representatives provide any further clarification.
Sometimes, if enough webmasters are confused, Google might add a note in their documentation or address it in a Q&A. But given John Mueller’s stance, they likely consider this just business as usual.
As a final thought, consider this quote (paraphrased from Google’s guidance and Martin Splitt’s insight): Google doesn’t index the whole web, nor should it. It tries to index the best of the web.
If you ensure your pages are among the “best” on their topic – unique, useful, and relevant – you greatly improve their chances of indexing and longevity in search.
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