Google Search Console: Understanding Email Alerts and Common SEO Errors

Google Search Console: Understanding Email Alerts and Common SEO Errors

By Michael Thompson

February 7, 2025 at 07:43 PM

Mobile-first indexing indicates your site is well-designed for mobile viewing, which Google now prioritizes for indexing and ranking. This is positive and requires no action if your site uses responsive design.

Mobile usability alerts highlight elements that need optimization, such as:

  • Clickable elements too close together
  • Text too small to read
  • Content wider than screen

Robots.txt files tell search engines which pages not to crawl. Common restricted pages include:

  • /search
  • /config (admin login)
  • /api (analytics tracking)
  • Tag and author pages
  • Format and view parameters

Important indexing statuses:

  • "Crawled but not indexed": Page is visible but won't appear in search results
  • "Page alternate with canonical": Normal for homepages with multiple URLs
  • "Discovered - not indexed": Google found the page but hasn't crawled it yet

Common crawl errors and solutions:

  • 404 errors: Set up 301/302 redirects for deleted or moved pages
  • Soft 404 errors: Avoid phrases like "not available" or "does not exist"
  • Redirect errors: Normal for HTTP to HTTPS redirects

Structured data warnings indicate missing markup code. While they don't prevent indexing, adding proper markup can improve rich snippet eligibility.

For deceptive behavior flags:

  1. Verify your site with Google Search Console
  2. Remove potentially harmful content
  3. Request a Google review

HTML improvement suggestions don't affect site accessibility or indexing. Focus on core SEO practices like:

  • Quality content
  • Proper meta descriptions
  • Clear site structure
  • Mobile optimization

Note: Third-party SEO tools may provide misleading results for CMS-based websites, as they're designed for custom-coded sites.

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