Google Search Console error “Page indexed without content” | Steps to fix

Last Updated on June 10, 2025 by Admin

Have you ever seen the "Page indexed without content" error in your Google Search Console? This occurs when Google crawls a page on your website but fails to access the page content. In this blog, we will discuss the causes of this rare error and give you a step-by-step guide for fixing it so that Google properly indexes and ranks your content.

Causes for "Page indexed without content" Error

For some reason, Google may show the status of pages without content files, even if they have content. Let’s explore the most common causes:

• Pages Have Little Content: If your pages are empty or contain minimal text, Google may find it difficult to index them correctly. The outcome would be that these pages would be assigned the role of "Page indexed without content." Ensuring that each page contains enough high-quality content that adds value to your users is critical to keeping your pages from slamming with thin content warnings.
• Blocked by Robots.txt: When Google’s robots.txt file prevents your pages from being crawled by Google’s robots, they can’t index them correctly.
• Content Structure: If your page’s structure was developed poorly, through poor internal linking & navigation, Google fails to understand the such pages. Hence, update contents with proper structure following the EEAT Framework.
• Rendering Issues: Alternatively, Google might encounter rendering problems when trying to parse your page’s content, especially if it contains JavaScript and other Dynamic elements. Make your website’s rendering more optimized by providing search engine spiders with a clear path and well-structured JavaScript content.
• Cloaking and its Impact on Indexing: Another cause is cloaking, a technique in which you show different information to search engines and users. Ensure you provide the same information to users and search engines to avoid penalties and indexing problems.

4 Step Guide to Fix "Page indexed without content" Error

After identifying the affected pages, you should take corrective measures to resolve the "Page indexed without content" error. Follow below 4 steps guide to get your pages back on track:

1. Review the Affected Pages in the Google Search Console: The first step towards eliminating the error "Page indexed without content" is the meticulous inspection of the list of URLs in the Google Search Console. This would provide you with a vivid picture of the degree of the problem and help you determine what pages to begin with. You can generate a list of the most pressing issues that need to be attended to as soon as possible and make a plan to deal effectively with the error.
2. Analyze Internal and External Linking Structures: The next step is to scrutinize those pages’ internal and external linking structures. Extensive linking to a content-less page can put Google in a quandary and cause Google indexing errors like the "Page indexed without content" issue. Based on your findings, take action to optimize your linking structures, make changes to affected pages’ links by removing or adding them until you fix the content-related problems. Ensure that the transitional pages contain meaningful and useful explanations along with the material on the removed page. Try the strategic internal linking architecture, which reveals the pages’ connection and order.
3. Compare User Experience vs. Googlebot Perspective: To discover any possible differences between the user’s experience and what Googlebot sees, it’s crucial to compare the user experience with the perspective of Googlebot. This might help you to solve questions about cloaking and other technical problems like the "Page indexed without content" error. To analyze a page for Google’s Mobile-Friendliness, you only need to enter the URL and then you will see it viewed simultaneously by humans and Googlebot.
4. Troubleshoot and Resolve Rendering Issues: Google Search Console’s “Fetch and Render” feature, which fetches a URL and then takes Googlebot’s view of the page. These issue may occur due to rendering problems since Google might fail to evaluate the page content because of this factor. Verify that your robots.txt excludes resources such as stylesheets or Javascript files critical to your website’s rendering. Optimize your JavaScript content for search engines by following best practices.

Conclusion

The status of "Page indexed without content" may become challenging as long as you cann’t figure out the causes and then apply the proper solution. At AlgoSaga Internet marketing agency, we comprehend that a clean website that is easily discoverable by users and search engines plays a critical role. If you face difficulty with fixing indexing issues or maximizing your website’s technical SEO, the SEO specialists and our team of experts are ready to help. Feel free to contact us for more details!