Google Search Console Reporting Delays: What You Need to Know

I’ve recently encountered an issue with Google Search Console that’s affecting many of us in the SEO community. The index coverage report, also known as the page indexing report, is experiencing delays of about two weeks. It’s important to note that while this impacts reporting, it doesn’t affect the actual crawling, indexing, or ranking of websites.

The page indexing report is crucial for me as it shows the pages Google can find and index on my site. It alerts me to any indexing problems encountered, and I can submit fixes to see if my resolutions are recognized by Google. Given the current delay, I won’t know if my fixes have worked until the report updates.

Here’s a screenshot of my report, last updated on November 17th, although some users are seeing updates as late as the 18th. You can check out the screenshot here.

In a statement on LinkedIn, Google confirmed the issue, saying:

“FYI – Page indexing report delays We’re currently experiencing longer than usual delays in the Search Console Index Coverage report. This only affects reporting, not crawling, indexing, or ranking of websites. We’ll update here once this issue is resolved. Thanks for your patience!”

This delay is particularly inconvenient as I prepare client reports at the beginning of each month. While I anticipate the report will catch up soon, it does mean delaying my own reporting to clients and stakeholders. Until then, it’s good to remember that this is just a reporting glitch.

Inspired by this post on Search Engine Land.