Google Search Console - Dawn Theme - Indexing

Technical Q&A

Topic summary

A Shopify store owner using the Dawn theme is experiencing indexing issues in Google Search Console, with numerous pages not being indexed despite ranking for some terms. The main concern is whether these unindexed pages affect SEO performance for competitive keywords like “concrete coffee table.”

Key issues identified:

  • 404 errors (20): Primarily old product variant URLs that don’t require action unless they have backlinks or traffic value
  • Canonical tags (25): Normal behavior for product variants; Shopify automatically adds these to prevent duplicate content
  • Robots.txt blocks: Expected for pages like privacy policy and cart—no changes needed
  • Crawled but not indexed (26): Includes collection pages ending in .atom (RSS feeds) that don’t need indexing

Recommended actions:

  • Focus on improving product descriptions with target keywords
  • Add internal linking structure
  • Consider starting a blog for long-tail keyword targeting
  • Only redirect 404s if they previously had SEO value

Consensus: Most unindexed pages are normal and don’t require fixes. Priority should be content optimization rather than resolving all indexing notices.

Summarized with AI on October 25. AI used: claude-sonnet-4-5-20250929.
1

Hi All,

I have been building a website to sell our concrete furniture products. After advice I have used Dawn theme from shopify. www.massworks.co.uk

We have been ranking well for some terms, but not great for the main key terms we want (concrete table etc) / (concrete coffee table) Its a competitive field.

In search console I have seen an increasingly large number of pages not indexed. I cannot for the life of me work out if this is a problem, as some of pages not indexed dont seem that relevant. What is the best practice to clear these?

I note there are some collections in “crawled but not currently indexed” but when listed out in search console the collections end in .atom (?)

SUMMARY:

404’s – 20 of these

These don’t seem relevant to actual pages just a couple of product variants.

Alternate page with a canocal tag. – 25 of these.

These are mainly variants on a product listing. Is this a problem, should I do anything?

Blocked by robots

The pages blocked seem ok – like privacy policy etc

Crawled but not currently indexed – 26 of these

There are a lot of collection pages, but ending in the .atom – what does this mean? Do I need to do anything?

Any advice is greatly appreciated!

1 Like
2

Hey! Great job digging into SEO and using Search Console. Here’s a quick breakdown of what you’re seeing:

404 Errors (20)

These are likely old product variant URLs.
If they aren’t important, no action needed. If any were real pages, consider adding URL redirects in Shopify.

Alternate Page with Canonical (25)

This is normal for product variants. Shopify adds canonical tags to avoid duplicate content.
No action needed unless your main product pages aren’t indexed.

Blocked by Robots.txt

Pages like cart, privacy policy, etc., are blocked by default.
Totally fine—nothing to change here.

Crawled but Not Indexed (26)

This means Google saw the page but chose not to index it—often due to low content or value. Many of the ones you’re seeing ending in .atom are RSS feeds for collections.
These don’t need to be indexed. Safe to ignore.

Quick Tips:

Improve product descriptions with target keywords (like “concrete coffee table”).

Add internal links across your site.

Start a blog to target long-tail keywords and support your rankings.

Hope that helps! Let me know if you’d like help with a simple SEO checklist or content ideas. You’re on the right track.

1 Like
3

Hello @MintyBiscuit ,

I hope you are well!

404 errors – 20 pages

  • These are typically old product URLs, variant URLs, or test pages.

  • Best practice:

    • If the page used to exist and has backlinks/traffic → 301 redirect it to the closest relevant product/collection.

    • If it’s a throwaway variant/irrelevant → leaving as a 404 is fine. Google treats 404s as normal housekeeping.

:backhand_index_pointing_right: Only fix if there’s SEO value.

1 Like
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Not all detection results need to be resolved, some of them are outdated results and the others are not affecting your store contents very much, only a part of them will affect store SEO and sales, such as 404 errors or structure data related issues. You can select the crucial ones to fix at first and fix the rest according to your own demands.