How to Get Backlinks Indexed by Google

Why Backlinks Do Not Get Indexed

Before jumping into fixes, it helps to understand the root causes.
Google does not index every page it finds. When a page has thin content, no internal links pointing to it, or sits on a domain Google crawls infrequently, it can sit unvisited for weeks or never get indexed at all.
Backlinks built through guest posts, directories, web 2.0 platforms, and link insertion services often land on exactly these kinds of pages. The host site may be legitimate, but the specific page carrying your link may be invisible to Google.
An unindexed referring page passes no link equity. The link technically exists but from Google’s perspective it does not.

Check Which Backlinks Are Not Indexed First

Before doing anything else, find out which backlinks are actually the problem.

Export your backlink report from Ahrefs, Semrush, or Moz. Copy the referring page URLs, which are the pages where your links live, not your own URLs.

Paste them into Index Status Checker. You can check up to 5 URLs without an account and up to 100 per month with a free account.

This gives you a clear list of which referring pages are indexed and which are not. Work from that list. Do not waste time on backlinks that are already indexed and working fine.

For a dedicated walkthrough of this process, visit our Backlink Index Checker page.

Method 1: Build Internal Links to the Referring Page

This is the most reliable method and it costs nothing. When other indexed pages on the same domain link to the page carrying your backlink, Google is much more likely to crawl and index it. Internal links pass crawl signals through a site. A page with no internal links pointing to it is essentially invisible to Googlebot.

Contact the site owner and politely ask them to add an internal link to the page from another relevant, indexed page on their site. Most decent site owners will do this without hesitation if you frame it as improving their own content structure.

This single action resolves indexing issues for a large proportion of unindexed backlink pages.

Method 2: Improve the Content on the Referring Page

Google skips pages it considers low quality. If the page carrying your backlink has thin content, no original value, or reads like it was written purely for link building purposes, Google may choose not to index it.

Ask the site owner to improve the page. Longer content, more specific information, relevant images, and better formatting all help.

A page that genuinely serves readers is far more likely to be indexed than one that exists purely as a link vehicle. This matters more now than ever given how aggressively Google has been filtering low-quality content in recent updates.

Method 3: Share the Page on Social Media

Social sharing does not directly cause indexing, but it creates crawlable pathways that Googlebot can follow.

When a page gets shared on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, or Reddit, those platforms create publicly accessible posts linking to it. Google crawls social media platforms regularly. Following those links can lead Googlebot to pages it had not yet visited.

Share the referring page yourself if you have access to social accounts, or ask the site owner to promote the content. Even a handful of social shares can be enough to get Googlebot to notice the page.

Method 4: Create Backlinks to the Referring Page

This sounds recursive but it works. Building a small number of links to the page that carries your backlink increases its perceived importance and gives Google more pathways to find it.

These do not need to be high-authority links. A few relevant blog comments, forum mentions, or social bookmarks pointing to the referring page can provide enough crawl signals to push it into the index.

This is sometimes called tiered link building. The goal is not to rank the referring page but simply to get it indexed so it can pass value to your site.

Method 5: Use a Third-Party Indexing Service

Indexing services attempt to accelerate Google’s discovery of specific URLs by creating crawl pathways, pinging search engines, and in some cases using Google’s own indexing API.

Results are not guaranteed. Independent tests show that indexing services succeed on roughly 30 to 60 percent of submitted URLs depending on the service and the quality of the referring page. They work best on pages that are indexable but have simply not been crawled yet.

If the page has content quality issues or is on a domain with crawl problems, an indexing service will not fix those underlying issues. Address the root cause first, then use an indexing service as a push if needed.

Use these as a supplementary method, not a primary strategy.

Method 6: Request Indexing Through Google Search Console

This only works for pages on websites you own. But if you are doing link building on your own network of sites, this is the fastest and most direct method available.

Log in to Google Search Console, paste the URL into the URL Inspection tool, and click Request Indexing. This puts the page in Google’s priority crawl queue.

For third-party sites where you do not have GSC access, work with the site owner and ask them to request indexing on your behalf.

How Long Does It Take After Taking Action?

There is no fixed timeline. After improving internal links and content on a referring page, indexing can happen within a few days on active sites. On slower sites, it can still take two to four weeks.

Check back using Index Status Checker after one week. If the page is still not indexed after three to four weeks of trying, it may not be worth further effort.

At that point, focus your energy on building new backlinks on stronger, better-indexed sites rather than continuing to chase indexation on a difficult page.

Read more on indexing timelines: How Long Does Google Take to Index a Page

Which Backlink Types Have the Worst Indexing Rates?

Based on general SEO experience across large-scale link building campaigns, these link types tend to have the highest proportion of unindexed referring pages.

Web 2.0 links on platforms like Blogger or WordPress.com sub-domains are frequently on pages Google has deprioritised. Forum profile links and blog comment links on low-traffic sites are often on pages with no internal link support. Links from press release syndication targets vary enormously, as some syndication destinations are well-indexed and others are essentially ignored by Google.

Guest posts on legitimate, well-maintained blogs tend to have much better indexing rates because the host site itself is actively crawled.

For a breakdown by link type, read: Backlink Index Checker

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: How do I know if my backlinks are indexed by Google?

Paste the referring page URLs into Index Status Checker. Each URL will come back as Indexed or Not Indexed. You can check up to 5 URLs without an account and up to 100 per month with a free account.

Q: Do unindexed backlinks hurt my SEO?

No. Unindexed backlinks are neutral. They do not pass positive signals but they also do not pass negative ones. They are simply invisible to Google. Focus on getting them indexed rather than worrying about any negative impact.

Q: How long does it take for a backlink to get indexed?

It depends on how frequently Google crawls the host site. On high-authority sites, a new page can be indexed within hours. On smaller sites, it can take weeks.

Read the full breakdown: How Long Does Google Take to Index a Page

Q: Should I use an indexing service for all my backlinks?

Not necessarily. Many backlinks on strong, well-maintained sites will be indexed naturally without any intervention. Focus indexing services on backlinks that have been live for more than four weeks and still show as not indexed.

Q: Can I check backlinks in bulk?

Yes. With a free account on Index Status Checker, you can check up to 100 URLs per month. For large backlink lists, use the Bulk Google Index Checker.

Bottom CTA

Start by finding out which of your backlinks are not indexed. Paste your referring page URLs into Index Status Checker and get a clear picture in seconds. Then work through the methods above, starting with internal links and content improvements before turning to indexing services.

Need to check a large backlink list at once? Use the Bulk Google Index Checker.