What is indexing?
Indexing is when a search engine stores and organises a page in its database so it can appear in results, a page that isn't indexed can never rank.
In plain English
Crawling (finding the page) comes first; indexing (deciding it's worth storing) comes next. Pages can be excluded for thin content, duplication, noindex tags, or blocked crawling. Check status in Google Search Console's URL Inspection.
Why it matters for AI search
If a page isn't indexed by Google, AI engines that rely on the search index generally can't surface or cite it either. Getting indexed is table stakes for both.
Frequently asked
Submit an XML sitemap, then use URL Inspection → Request Indexing in Search Console. Strong internal links to the page help too.
Common causes: a noindex tag, blocked by robots.txt, thin/duplicate content, or Google simply hasn't crawled it yet.
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