Last Updated on February 25, 2026
1. Late May 2025 Surge
A study by SEO expert Dr. Marie Haynes revealed that around May 27, 2025, numerous websites began seeing sharp drops in indexed pages.
Many of these pages fell into the “crawled – currently not indexed” category, indicating that Google had crawled them but had chosen not to index them. Source
Common traits among deindexed content included:
- Thin or duplicated pages with little original value.
- Old blog posts or content that merely paraphrase widely available information.
- Posts are unlikely to be selected by users in search results.
2. Ongoing Reports from Site Owners
On forums like Reddit, site owners have reported massive deindexing since late May and early June. One user noted that 70% of their 1 million+pages were removed, while others saw sudden drops after the June 2025 update. Check out this Reddit thread
3. Bug Exploitation via Google’s Removal Tool
In a related but distinct incident, Google recently patched a severe bug that allowed anonymous attackers to deindex pages using the “Remove Outdated Content” tool.
Victims reported that hundreds of pages were removed maliciously, a negative SEO tactic rather than an algorithmic shift.
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What’s Going On?
In late May 2025, a growing number of site owners began noticing something alarming in Google Search Console: sudden drops in the number of indexed pages.
Pages previously appearing in search results shifted into the “Crawled – currently not indexed” or “Discovered – currently not indexed” categories.
SEO communities on Reddit, X (Twitter), and professional blogs lit up with reports of mass deindexing. Some websites lost 50–70% of their indexed URLs almost overnight, particularly those with:
- Thin content (low word count, limited depth)
- Outdated articles
- Pages repeating information available elsewhere
- Auto-generated or overly AI-driven text with little original insight
While Google hasn’t released an official “Deindexing Update” announcement, many experts believe this is part of a bigger quality-control push, similar to how they’ve been refining results after the March 2024 core update.
Why Are Pages Being Deindexed?
- Quality and Relevance: Google appears to be trimming its index of pages it deems unlikely to serve users, notably those with thin, unoriginal, or outdated content.
- No Page-Level Guarantee: Google doesn’t index everything it crawls. If pages see little engagement or perceived value, they may be dropped over time. Nate Hoffelder
- External Exploits: The removal tool bug is a separate issue where pages were intentionally deindexed due to abuse, not because of poor content quality.
What You Can Do
| Step | Recommendation |
|---|---|
| Audit Content | Identify pages in “crawled – currently not indexed” in Search Console and evaluate if they add unique, helpful value. |
| Refresh or Remove | Update or rewrite thin pages. For duplicates or low-value content, consider merging or deleting them. |
| Rebuild Authority | Strengthen internal linking, improve topical coverage, and earn external backlinks to worthwhile pages. |
| Monitor for Abuse | If you suspect malicious deindexing (resulting from removal tool abuse), check Search Console and consider contacting Google Support. |
Summary
Yes, Google has recently deindexed many webpages, particularly those that lack originality or user value.
This isn’t necessarily a penalty; it’s often Google refining its index. That said, some removals stem from a bug exploited by malicious actors, so it’s important to check both content quality and for potential abuse.
Contact me if you’d like help reviewing your index status or developing strategies to recover visibility.
