How accurate do you think this blog post is? “Google now defaults to not indexing your content”. I quoted the last two sections.

Google Now Defaults to Not Indexing Your Content - Vincent Schmalbach

The New Reality: Selective Indexing

This brings us to the current state of affairs: Google is no longer trying to index the entire web. In fact, it’s become extremely selective, refusing to index most content. This isn’t about content creators failing to meet some arbitrary standard of quality. Rather, it’s a fundamental change in how Google approaches its role as a search engine.

From my experience, Google now seems to operate on a “default to not index” basis. It only includes content in its index when it perceives a genuine need. This decision appears to be based on various factors:

  • Extreme content uniqueness: It’s not enough to write about something that isn’t extensively covered. Google seems to require content to be genuinely novel or fill a significant gap in its index.

  • Perceived authority: Sites that Google considers highly authoritative in their niche may have more content indexed, but even then, it’s not guaranteed.

  • Brand recognition: Well-known brands often see most of their content indexed, while small or unknown bloggers face much stricter selectivity.

  • Temporary indexing and de-indexing: In practice, Google often indexes new content quite quickly, likely to avoid missing out on breaking news or important updates. Soon after, Google may de-index the content, and it remains de-indexed thereafter. So getting initially indexed isn’t necessarily a sign that Google considers your content valuable.

I’ve observed this shift firsthand. In the past, when I set up a new domain, it would be indexed within an hour or faster, sometimes in seconds. This was true even for brand new domains with no mentions anywhere and no backlinks. When I searched for the title of one of those brand new blog posts or some unique sentence from the article, it would be right there on the first Google page.

Now, for each piece of content, Google decides if it’s worth indexing, and more often than not, the answer seems to be “no.” They might index content they perceive as truly unique or on topics that aren’t covered at all. But if you write about a topic that Google considers even remotely addressed elsewhere, they likely won’t index it. This can happen even if you’re a well-respected writer with a substantial readership.

Interestingly, I’ve noticed that when content does manage to get indexed, it often ranks surprisingly well. It’s as if the hurdle of getting indexed has become so high that once you clear it, you’re already most of the way to ranking. However, getting to that point has become exponentially more difficult.

Importantly, this extreme selectivity isn’t applied equally. Big, recognized brands often see most of their content indexed quickly, while small bloggers or niche websites face a much higher bar for inclusion. For these smaller players, it’s not just about creating good content anymore – it’s about convincing Google that your content is absolutely necessary for their index.

The Consequences

Google has transformed from a comprehensive search engine into something more akin to an exclusive catalog. For users, it means that the information they’re looking for might exist but remain undiscoverable through Google.

I’m sure that a vast amount of valuable content is being overlooked. Information that you might search for may never appear in Google’s results. Not because it doesn’t exist, but because Google has chosen not to include it. For content creators, it presents a significant challenge: how do you gain visibility if Google refuses to index most of your content?