
SEO Tips: Understanding Google Console Errors and Malware Warnings
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
- 404 Page Not Found
- Occurs after deleting pages or changing URLs
- Fix by setting up 301 or 302 redirects
- Request reindexing after fixes
- Redirect Errors
- Common with HTTP to HTTPS redirects
- Normal for domain variations (www vs non-www)
- Usually don't require action
- Discovered - Not Indexed
- Page found but not yet processed by Google
- Requires patience for indexing
Deceptive Behavior Warnings If flagged:
- Check site in Google Search Console
- Remove potentially malicious content
- 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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