How to Use URL Inspection in Google Search Console
Short answer
URL Inspection in Google Search Console shows one page's status in Google's index: whether it is indexed, when it was last crawled and which canonical URL Google chose. The same tool can test the live page and request indexing.
In this article
URL Inspection in Google Search Console is the tool that shows one page's status in Google's index and tests whether the page can be indexed. The URL Inspection box sits at the top of every Search Console page.
URL Inspection usually comes up when a new page doesn't show in Google, or when a client asks why a page disappeared. This guide on how to use URL Inspection covers each status, the live test and indexing requests.
What do the statuses in URL Inspection mean?
URL is on Google means the page can appear in search results, but it may still not show for a given query. URL is not on Google means the page can't appear in search results.
| Section | What it shows | What it checks |
|---|---|---|
| Discovery | Sitemaps and referring pages | Whether Google found the page from a sitemap or a link |
| Crawl | Last crawl, crawler, crawl allowed, page fetch | Whether robots.txt allows it and the page was fetched |
| Indexing | Indexing allowed, user-declared canonical, Google-selected canonical | Whether there is a noindex and which URL Google chose |
| Enhancements | Structured data and rich result features | Whether markup reads without errors |
The data in these sections comes from the most recently indexed version of the page. The indexed version can be older than the page that is live now.
User-declared and Google-selected canonical
The user-declared canonical is the URL the page states, for example with a rel canonical tag or in a sitemap. The Google-selected canonical is the URL Google uses, and it can differ from the user's choice.
A different canonical means Google treats the page as a duplicate of another URL. The page's performance data is recorded under the Google-selected canonical. Other reasons a page isn't indexed are covered in the guide to pages not indexed.
How do the indexed result and the live URL test differ?
The indexed result shows the version of the page stored at Google. The live URL test fetches the page right now, so it is the way to check a fix before requesting indexing.
The live URL test also has limits worth knowing:
- The live test doesn't check sitemaps, referring pages or duplicates.
- The live test can't tell whether the page will be chosen as canonical.
- A screenshot of the page is only available in the live test.
How do you request indexing for a page?
To request indexing, inspect the URL, run the live test, then choose Request indexing when the page can be indexed. A request doesn't guarantee the page enters the index.
- Paste the full URL in the URL Inspection box and press Enter.
- Click Test live URL and wait for the result.
- Make sure the page fetch is Successful and indexing is allowed.
- Click Request indexing.
Indexing usually takes about a day, but it can take up to a week or two. Each property has a daily limit on indexing requests. Submit a sitemap with lastmod dates when many pages change.
When does URL Inspection belong in a client report?
URL Inspection is for checking a client's key pages one by one: service pages, product pages and the pages with the most clicks. The Page indexing report suits the totals better.
Record the status, the last crawl date and the Google-selected canonical of each key page every month. A status change on a key page is easier to explain with last month's record at hand. The same data is covered in the guide to Google Search Console.
Recalytics checks each client's commercial pages and top 10 pages by clicks through the URL Inspection API every month.
Frequently asked questions
Does requesting indexing again speed it up?
Google's documentation doesn't say it helps. One request after a fix is enough.
Does URL is on Google mean the page ranks?
No. The status only means the page is eligible to appear.
How long does indexing take after a request?
Usually about a day. Google's documentation says it can take up to a week or two.
Sources
The Recalytics Team writes guides on SEO and analytics reporting for digital agencies and website owners, based on Google's official documentation and Search Console and GA4 data.