Define the URL set
List canonical pages, language variants, visual resources and journeys that genuinely matter.
GUIDE / PROTOCOL
Crawling and indexing audit
Before improving an answer, confirm that it can be found, understood and attributed to the correct URL.
Direct answer
What makes an indexing audit useful?
An inventory of important URLs, their actual state and verified obstacles. Each issue is tied to a page, observable evidence, likely impact and a correction decision.
01 / Review method
Review method
Inspect the response
Compare HTTP status, redirects, robots, robots meta, canonical, sitemap and HTML served without running JavaScript.
Check the rendered page
Review headings, main text, links, images, structured data and navigation in the final DOM on desktop and mobile.
Decide and recheck
Rank issues by effect, fix them at source, then check the page, language variant and incoming links.
02 / Evidence to keep
Evidence to keep
URL and date
Keep the exact address, check date and HTTP status.
Indexability
Record robots, noindex, canonical, redirects and access to main content.
Languages
Verify reciprocal hreflang URLs and the language actually visible.
Images
Check src, dimensions, context, useful alt text and file weight.
03 / FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Is a sitemap enough?
No. It helps discovery but cannot fix a wrong status, inaccessible content or an inconsistent canonical.
Should every URL be indexed?
No. Variants without distinct value and service pages may stay outside the index when that choice is deliberate.
04 / Official references