Product indexation is the set of signals that determine whether Google includes your product pages in its index. A page not indexed = a page that cannot generate organic traffic, regardless of its optimization quality.
The three levers for improving indexation rate
XML sitemap
A well-structured, up-to-date sitemap is the primary indexation lever. It tells Google all the important URLs to crawl and their last modification date. Submit it in Search Console and keep it updated in real time for new products.
Crawl budget optimization
Exclude from the sitemap all URLs that should not be indexed (filter URLs, pagination, noindex pages). This concentrates Googlebot's crawl budget on your actual product pages.
Internal linking
A product with no internal links pointing to it depends entirely on the sitemap for discovery. Each link from a category or blog post is an additional discovery signal for Googlebot.
| Indexation rate | Probable cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Under 60% | Crawl budget too low or diluted | Clean sitemap, remove filter URLs |
| 60-80% | Thin content on some products | Enrich product descriptions |
| 80-90% | New products slow to index | Real-time sitemap update |
| 90%+ | Target to maintain | Monitor monthly in Search Console |
Check your indexation rate monthly in Search Console: total products in your catalog vs. products indexed in the Pages report. A drop of > 10% in one month signals a technical problem to investigate immediately.
Improve your indexation rate
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FAQ
Google Search Console > Index > Pages. The "Not indexed" tab shows all pages that Googlebot has found but not indexed, with the reason. You can also use the "site:" search operator: site:example.com/products/your-product — if it appears, it is indexed.