Introduction
When using Google Search Console’s (GSC) URL Inspection Tool, you might see a message stating:
“URL is unknown to Google”
This means that Google has not yet crawled or indexed the page. But why does this happen? And how can you ensure your page is discovered and indexed correctly?
In this detailed guide, we’ll explain why this message appears, how to diagnose the issue, and step-by-step solutions to get your page indexed by Google.
What Does ‘URL is Unknown to Google’ Mean?
This message in Google Search Console (GSC) means that Google has no record of the page in its index. Specifically:
- Google hasn’t discovered the URL yet (it hasn’t been crawled).
- The page is not in Google’s database, meaning it won’t appear in search results.
- It is not blocked by robots.txt, but Google simply hasn’t found or visited it.
Common Reasons Why a URL is Unknown to Google
1. The Page is New and Not Yet Discovered
- If you recently created the page, Google might not have crawled it yet.
- New websites, in particular, often take time to get indexed.
2. No Internal or External Links Point to the Page
- Google discovers new pages through links.
- If your page isn’t linked internally from other pages or externally from other sites, it remains undiscovered.
3. The Page is Not Included in the XML Sitemap
- Google prioritizes URLs in a sitemap for crawling.
- If your page isn’t listed in the sitemap.xml file, Google might overlook it.
4. Crawl Budget Limitations
- Large websites with thousands of pages may experience crawl budget issues where Google prioritizes other URLs over new ones.
- If your website has low authority or inefficient structure, Google may not reach all pages.
5. Googlebot Was Blocked from Crawling
- If your robots.txt file has rules preventing crawling, Google can’t discover the page.
- Example of a blocking rule in robots.txt:makefileCopyEdit
User-agent: Googlebot Disallow: /new-page/ - Alternatively, the page may have a meta robots tag set to
noindex:htmlCopyEdit<meta name="robots" content="noindex, nofollow">
6. The URL Has No User Activity or Engagement
- If no visitors or bots interact with the page, Google might deprioritize it.
- Pages without social media shares, backlinks, or mentions tend to be indexed slower.
7. Google’s Crawlers Have Not Revisited the Website Recently
- If your site is not frequently updated or has low domain authority, Googlebot may not crawl it often.
How to Fix ‘URL is Unknown to Google’ and Get It Indexed
1. Check if Google Can Access the Page
- Use Google Search Operators to see if the page is already indexed:bashCopyEdit
site:yourwebsite.com/your-page-url- If no results appear, the page is not indexed.
- If the page is indexed, but GSC still shows “unknown,” try re-submitting it.
2. Request Indexing in Google Search Console
If the page is not indexed, manually request Google to crawl it:
- Go to Google Search Console
- Click on “URL Inspection Tool”
- Enter the full page URL
- Click “Request Indexing”
Google will prioritize crawling the page sooner.
3. Add the Page to Your XML Sitemap
- Ensure the page is listed in your sitemap.xml file.
- You can check by visiting:arduinoCopyEdit
https://yourwebsite.com/sitemap.xml - If missing, add it and submit the sitemap in Google Search Console under:
Indexing → Sitemaps → Submit a new sitemap
4. Internally Link the Page from High-Traffic Pages
- Google discovers pages through links, so add links to your page from existing indexed pages.
- Example: If your new blog post is unknown to Google, link to it from a well-indexed article.
Example internal link:
htmlCopyEdit<a href="https://yourwebsite.com/new-page">Check out our latest post</a>
5. Get External Backlinks to the Page
- If other websites link to your page, Google is more likely to discover and index it.
- Strategies to get backlinks:
✅ Share on social media (Twitter, LinkedIn, Reddit)
✅ Publish a press release or guest post
✅ Submit to forums and directories
6. Ensure Googlebot is Allowed to Crawl
Check robots.txt for restrictions by visiting:
arduinoCopyEdithttps://yourwebsite.com/robots.txt
Make sure there’s no rule blocking your page:
makefileCopyEditUser-agent: *
Disallow: /your-page-url
If found, remove the disallow rule and resubmit the URL.
7. Remove ‘Noindex’ Tag if Present
Check your page’s HTML for this tag:
htmlCopyEdit<meta name="robots" content="noindex, nofollow">
If it exists, remove it to allow indexing.
8. Improve Page Engagement and Activity
Google prioritizes pages with user interactions. To boost engagement:
- Share on social media to drive traffic
- Embed the page in email campaigns
- Encourage comments or discussions
9. Speed Up Crawling with Google API (Advanced Users)
For large sites, use Google’s Indexing API to notify Google of new content instantly.
Example Case Study: Fixing ‘URL is Unknown to Google’
Scenario
A website owner notices that their new blog post is not appearing in Google’s search results. They check Google Search Console and see the message:
“URL is unknown to Google”
Diagnosis & Fix
- Checked Google’s Index:vbnetCopyEdit
site:example.com/new-blog-post- No results → Not indexed.
- Checked Robots.txt:
- Found a blocking rule:bashCopyEdit
Disallow: /blog/ - Solution: Removed the rule and resubmitted the page.
- Found a blocking rule:bashCopyEdit
- Requested Indexing in GSC
- Used URL Inspection Tool → Requested Indexing
- Added an Internal Link from HomepagehtmlCopyEdit
<a href="https://example.com/new-blog-post">Read our latest article</a> - Shared on Social Media
- Posted on Twitter and LinkedIn to drive engagement.
Results
Within 48 hours, Google indexed the page, and it started appearing in search results. 🚀
Final Checklist to Fix ‘URL is Unknown to Google’
✅ Check if the URL is already indexed using site:yourwebsite.com/page-url
✅ Request indexing via Google Search Console
✅ Add the URL to XML Sitemap
✅ Link internally from high-traffic pages
✅ Secure external backlinks
✅ Ensure robots.txt is not blocking Googlebot
✅ Remove any noindex meta tags
✅ Improve user engagement and traffic
✅ Use Google’s Indexing API (for advanced users)
