Understanding Google Search Console Indexing Messages (Blogger Edition)
If you use Google Search Console (GSC) and Blogger, you have probably seen messages like:
For many website owners, these messages look like serious SEO problems. In reality, most of the time, they are normal and healthy signals.
This guide explains—clearly and practically—what these messages mean, why they appear, and how to know whether your site is actually active and ranking.
1. Why Google Shows “Alternate Page with Proper Canonical Tag”
This message means Google found more than one version of the same page, but your site correctly told Google which one is the main version.
Common example on Blogger
Blogger automatically creates a mobile version of every page using a parameter:
Desktop (canonical):
https://www.example.com/seo-services-in-ghana.htmlMobile (alternate):
https://www.example.com/seo-services-in-ghana.html?m=1
The mobile URL includes a canonical tag pointing to the desktop version. Google then says:
“Good. I will index the main page and ignore the alternate one.”
That is why GSC reports:
Alternate page with proper canonical tag – not indexed
This is correct behavior, not an error.
2. Why Google Says “These Pages Aren’t Indexed or Served on Google”
This line causes the most confusion.
Google is not saying your content is missing from search. It is saying:
“This specific URL version is not indexed because another version is.”
Only one version of a page should be indexed. Indexing all versions would create duplicate content and weaken rankings.
3. Understanding “Page with Redirect” in Search Console
A redirected page should never be indexed.
When Google sees a redirect, it indexes the destination page, not the redirecting URL.
Normal redirect examples (safe to ignore)
http://→https://non-www → www
?m=1mobile URLsOld parameter URLs
Example:
http://example.com/
→ https://www.example.com/
GSC will show the first URL as:
Page with redirect – not indexed
That is exactly what you want.
4. One Canonical Homepage (Very Important)
Your site must have one preferred homepage URL.
Best practice:
https://www.example.com/
All of these should redirect or canonicalize to it:
If that is happening, your setup is correct.
5. How to Know Your Site Is Actually Active
Do not judge site health by coverage warnings alone. Use these checks instead.
A. Google index check
Search on Google:
site:example.com
If your pages appear, your site is indexed.
B. URL Inspection (authoritative)
In Google Search Console:
Paste your homepage or a blog post URL
Look for:
6. How to Know Your Site Is Ranking
The most important signal: impressions
In GSC:
If impressions are greater than zero, Google is ranking your site.
Clicks come later.
7. Understanding the Ranking Stages
| Stage | What You See | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Indexed | Google knows your page |
| 2 | Impressions | Google is testing it |
| 3 | Position 30–100 | Early rankings |
| 4 | Position 11–29 | Close to page one |
| 5 | Position 1–10 | Traffic |
Most new or growing sites spend time in stages 2–3.
8. “Last Crawl” Date Explained
Seeing a crawl date from several days—or even weeks—ago is normal.
Google does not crawl every page every day.
Crawl frequency depends on:
A page can:
Be indexed
Be ranking
Receive impressions
Even if it was last crawled days ago.
9. When You Should Actually Worry
Take action only if you see:
These are real SEO issues.
10. What You Should Focus On Instead
Instead of worrying about normal GSC messages:
Final Takeaway
If Google Search Console shows:
Alternate page with proper canonical tag
Page with redirect
Your site is working as intended.
A healthy site is measured by:
Improving average positions
Understand the signals correctly, and you will avoid unnecessary panic while focusing on what truly drives rankings.
This guide is especially relevant for Blogger users, but the principles apply to all SEO-friendly websites.
