Learn how to address crawling issues and create stand-alone pages to improve your chances of getting indexed by Google.

This week’s question comes from Priya, who’s struggling with an issue that many website owners face:

“Hi! I run an online directory that lists event venues across different cities in the UK. The issue is that only a handful of pages are indexed by Google, even though the website dynamically generates hundreds of venue pages.

For example, when a user searches for a city on my homepage, it loads a dynamic page showing venue listings for that location.

However, Google isn’t indexing these venue pages. What could be the reason, and how can I fix it?”

This is a common problem. Many website owners believe that just because their pages exist for users, they should automatically be indexed by Google. But that’s not how it works. Search engines need structure, clarity, and proper guidance to discover, crawl, and index pages.

Let’s break down the root causes of this issue, expose critical SEO gaps, and outline a clear roadmap to getting more pages indexed.

Identifying The Gaps In Your Website Structure

One look at Priya’s website reveals a clear issue: it’s not actually an indexing problem—it’s a crawling problem. Google isn’t refusing to index his pages; it simply can’t find them.

Why? Because the site lacks critical structural elements, making it nearly invisible to search engines.

1. Navigation Nightmares

Both consumers and search engines struggle to move around the website because there are no clear, discoverable links. Users rely on the search bar, but that’s a dead end for SEO. If a page only appears when a user performs a search, it doesn’t exist in the eyes of Google.

2. Conflicting Sitemaps

Priya’s website has two sitemaps, and one is incorrect. While the correct one is listed in the robots.txt file, it only contains site navigation—not the dynamically generated pages. A sitemap should serve as a roadmap for search engines, guiding them to every important page.

3. Robots.txt Blocking Crawlers

The robots.txt file includes a disallow directive for all user agents, effectively telling search engines to stay away. While it’s intended to guide bots, in this case, it’s restricting Google’s ability to access and crawl important pages.

4. No Internal Linking

Without internal links, crawlers have no way of jumping from page to page. Internal links act as pathways, directing both users and search engines to deeper pages on your site.

5. Thin Content With No Local Relevance

Even if Google managed to find Priya’s location pages, it wouldn’t see much value in them. The content is generic, lacks depth, and doesn’t provide expert insights that users (or search engines) are looking for.

6. Missing Meta Tags & Canonicals

Meta robot tags tell Google whether to index a page, while canonical tags help prevent duplicate content issues. Without them, search engines are left guessing—and that’s never a good thing.

7. Location Pages That Don’t “Exist”

Priya’s city- and state-specific pages aren’t actual URLs; they’re just search results generated on the fly. If a page isn’t a permanent URL that Google can crawl, it won’t get indexed.

Read More: Google Spills the Truth: Do Audio Blog Posts Boost SEO?

Filling The Missing SEO Elements

Now, let’s talk about solutions. Here’s how Priya—and anyone facing similar issues—can get their pages indexed properly.

1. Build A Proper Folder Structure

A well-organized URL structure makes a world of difference. Instead of dynamically generating location pages, create a dedicated folder system:

/usa/

/usa/california/

/usa/california/los-angeles/
/usa/california/san-francisco/

/usa/texas/

/usa/texas/dallas/
/usa/texas/houston/

This eliminates duplicate or inconsistent URLs (e.g., “Philly” vs. “Philadelphia”) and ensures each location has a permanent, crawlable page.

2. Create Unique, Localized Content

Every page should contain original content relevant to that specific location. Avoid copy-pasting the same generic warehouse details. Instead, include:

Local climate considerations (e.g., humidity protection in Miami, snow-proof storage in Minnesota)
Storage solutions for common regional industries
Actual business addresses, operating hours, and contact details
Driving directions and proximity to major roads, airports, or industrial hubs

This makes the pages valuable for users and compelling for search engines.

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3. Add Breadcrumbs & Internal Links

Once you have structured content, you need to connect the dots. Breadcrumbs help users and Google understand site hierarchy. A clear linking structure ensures every page is discoverable.

Example:

California Page → Internal links to Los Angeles, San Francisco, and San Diego pages
Los Angeles Page → Links back to the California page and nearby cities

This not only boosts indexing but also improves user experience.

4. Fix Robots.txt & Sitemaps

Priya needs to remove disallow rules that prevent Google from crawling essential pages. Instead, robots.txt should allow search engines to access the location-based folders.

Additionally, the sitemap should include all state and city pages. Once updated, it should be submitted to Google Search Console for faster discovery.

5. Request a Crawl

Once the site is properly structured, a manual crawl request via Google Search Console ensures search engines start processing the changes immediately.

Read More: How to Adjust Your SEO Strategy for AI-Powered Search

6. Use PR & Local SEO To Drive Traffic

SEO isn’t just about tweaking website settings. To increase credibility and demand, local PR efforts should be part of the strategy. Being featured in local news outlets, relevant blogs, and industry directories can increase visibility and generate organic backlinks.

PR isn’t just about SEO—it’s about building trust and authority.

Final Thoughts

The good news? Priya’s site doesn’t have an indexing issue. The pages that exist are already indexed.

The bad news? Only nine pages actually exist in Google’s eyes.

The fix? Make location pages real, fill them with meaningful content, and structure the website properly. Once that’s done, Google will have no trouble crawling and indexing them.

Ignoring these SEO fundamentals isn’t an option. If your business relies on search traffic, ensuring your pages are discoverable is mission-critical.

Need help implementing a rock-solid SEO strategy? Partner with an organic SEO agency that understands the intricacies of search indexing and can drive real results.

Got an SEO question of your own? Send it in, and we might feature it next time.

Until then—happy optimizing!

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