The message "Referring page not detected" in Google Search Console typically means that Google cannot find any internal or external links pointing to the blog post URL you submitted for indexing. Even though the sitemap has been submitted, Google still needs to discover links pointing to the specific page to crawl it effectively.
Here’s how you can resolve this issue:
1. Check Sitemap Submission
Confirm that your sitemap is valid and contains the blog post URL.
Use tools like Sitemap Validator or check the sitemap manually (e.g., https://yourdomain.com/sitemap.xml).
Ensure the submitted URL appears correctly in the sitemap.
2. Internal Linking
Add internal links to the blog post from other pages on your website.
Example: Add links to the blog post in related content, navigation menus, or footer.
This allows Google to find the page naturally when crawling other parts of your site.
Tip: Use anchor text with relevant keywords for better SEO.
3. Update and Resubmit the Sitemap
After adding internal links, resubmit the sitemap:
Go to Google Search Console > Sitemaps > Submit your sitemap URL again.
4. External Links
If possible, add external backlinks pointing to your blog post. This helps Google discover and prioritise indexing your page.
5. Inspect the URL
Use the URL Inspection Tool in Google Search Console:
Enter the blog post URL and click "Request Indexing" again.
This forces Google to crawl the page.
6. Check Robots.txt
Ensure that the URL is not blocked by your robots.txt file.
Visit https://yourdomain.com/robots.txt and verify the directives.
7. Check Meta Tags
Confirm the page does not have a noindex meta tag in its HTML <head>.
Example: <meta name="robots" content="noindex">.
If this tag is present, Google won’t index the page.
8. Allow Time for Crawling
Even after following the steps, Google may take some time to index your page. Be patient, as it can take days or weeks for indexing to occur.
By addressing internal linking, sitemap validation, and manual inspection, you can resolve the "Referring page not detected" issue and improve the chances of your blog post being indexed successfully.
