Google Experiencing Issues with Indexing and Serving New Content
Recently, Google has been facing challenges when it comes to indexing and serving fresh content within its search engine. Users have reported several instances where new content has not been appearing in queries, causing frustration and confusion among the online community.
The problems started around 2 p.m. ET and have persisted sporadically since then. Some users have claimed to have seen new content appear randomly, but for the most part, new content has not been showing up in search results.
Google has officially acknowledged the issue at 7:49 pm ET, stating that there is an ongoing problem delaying the indexing of newly published content. The search engine giant assured users that they are actively working on identifying the root cause of the issue.
Interestingly, Google classified this as an indexing problem rather than a serving problem. However, many individuals, including those not affiliated with Google, believe that it appears to be more of a serving issue rather than an indexing issue.
Edward Hyatt, Director of Newsroom SEO at the Wall Street Journal, was one of the first to report this problem on Twitter. He noted that indexing of new content dropped around 2-3 pm, highlighting the impact on SEO efforts.
Several examples have been shared to demonstrate this issue. In one case, a story published on Search Engine Land 20 minutes ago was still not being served in Google Search. This inconsistency between content being indexed and served reinforces the idea that the problem lies more in serving rather than indexing.
Google Search Console even reported that the article in question was already indexed, further supporting the notion that the issue is related to serving content. It took approximately 45 minutes for the content to finally appear in Google search results.
Various other news outlets, such as The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, and The Verge, experienced the same problem. Their articles were not being served despite being indexed, indicating a widespread issue.
Google’s Search Liaison, Danny Sullivan, responded to the sporadic reports, assuring users that they are investigating the situation. However, with the ongoing updates and changes happening within Google’s search algorithm, the timing of these indexing and serving issues could not be worse.
As the online community awaits further updates from Google, users are advised to monitor the Google Search Status Dashboard for progress and to stay patient in the meantime. This serves as a reminder that even tech giants like Google face technical challenges, emphasizing the importance of adaptable approaches in the digital world.