SEO Tips: Understanding Google Console Errors and Malware Warnings

SEO Tips: Understanding Google Console Errors and Malware Warnings

By Michael Thompson

February 7, 2025 at 06:44 PM

SEO emails from Google and understanding Google Search Console messages require careful attention. Here's what you need to know about common notifications:

Mobile-first Indexing

  • Indicates your site is well-designed for mobile devices
  • Google will use your mobile site version for indexing and ranking
  • No action needed if you receive this notification
  • Responsive design automatically optimizes for different screen sizes

Mobile Usability Issues

  • Alerts about elements not optimized for mobile devices
  • Common issues: clickable elements too close together or text too small
  • Focus on responsive design and mobile styling to resolve these

Robots.txt Messages Google may show restricted access messages for certain URLs due to robots.txt settings. Common restricted paths include:

  • /search
  • Author pages
  • Tag pages
  • Month views
  • Format pages

Crawling and Indexing Issues

  • Crawled but not indexed: Pages with noindex tags won't appear in search results
  • Cart and checkout pages automatically have noindex tags
  • Alternative page canonical markup: Normal for homepage having two URLs
  • Structured data warnings don't prevent indexing

Common Crawl Errors

  1. 404 Page Not Found
  • Occurs after deleting pages or changing URLs
  • Fix by setting up 301 or 302 redirects
  • Request reindexing after fixes
  1. Redirect Errors
  • Common with HTTP to HTTPS redirects
  • Normal for domain variations (www vs non-www)
  • Usually don't require action
  1. Discovered - Not Indexed
  • Page found but not yet processed by Google
  • Requires patience for indexing

Deceptive Behavior Warnings If flagged:

  1. Check site in Google Search Console
  2. Remove potentially malicious content
  3. Request a site review from Google

Remember that not all messages require immediate action, and some warnings are normal for properly functioning websites.

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