Key Takeaways:

• Google is currently investigating reported delays in indexing for Google Search.
• This issue appears to be causing disruption to a small number of sites.
• Concerns initially broke out early on Thursday, December 21, prompting active discussion on Search Engine Roundtable.
• Google is yet to identify the underlying cause of this issue, and no specific sites are confirmed as impacted.
• Users can also expect an update within 12 hours as Google seeks to resolve the problem.

Main Story:

Reports regarding a potential indexing issue with Google Search are being thoroughly examined by Google. The company has confirmed that they are looking into reported time lags affecting several websites’ indexing. Detecting the root cause of these unexpected delays remains a work in progress.

Google’s most recent update stated, “We are investigating reports about delayed indexing in Google Search which seems to be impacting a small number of websites. We’re undertaking efforts to identify the root cause. The next update is scheduled within 12 hours.”

Notably, these reports of potential indexing issues started to emerge from about 1:30 am ET on Thursday, December 21. A significant number of webmasters and SEO experts began weighing in on the problem on the Search Engine Roundtable, hours before Google acknowledged the problem.

Regarding the affected sites, preliminary speculation pointed toward regional-specific sites, especially in India as being impacted. However, this theory hasn’t been substantiated yet. It was also suggested that websites offering both standard HTML and AMP (Accelerated Mobile Pages) versions might be experiencing the issue.

A notable revelation was that many high-impact sites, including the Wall Street Journal, NY Times, and Washington Post, didn’t seem to encounter the indexing delay. Google reassured that a “small number of sites” are affected and it will provide updates once it uncovers the main cause.

Meanwhile, if you believe your website has been impacted, it’s suggested to wait for the fix as Google is diligently addressing the problem. Google has promised an update within the next 12 hours. If you’ve spotted any irregularities with the indexing of your content or experienced any traffic glitches on your site, this could be the reason. However, if you’ve been encountering indexing and ranking issues over the past several days or months, it’s more likely related to one of the Google Search algorithm updates.

As of 5:30 pm ET, Google announced that they have identified and fixed the issue with indexing. However, some sites may continue to experience indexing delays until all the previously affected URLs have been reprocessed.