Google indexed an old NBI Renewal URL instead of the updated page. How do I fix this?

[josephillip]

Hi everyone,

I'm facing an SEO issue and could really use some advice.

I run a website that has information about NBI Renewal. A few months ago, I updated one of my pages with new content and changed the URL to make it cleaner.

The problem is that Google still keeps showing the old URL in search results. The old page redirects correctly, but Search Console says the new page is discovered and crawled, while the old one still appears for some searches.

So far I've:

Submitted the new URL for indexing.
Added a 301 redirect from the old URL.
Updated my sitemap.
Changed all internal links to the new page.
It's been a few weeks, but Google still prefers the old URL.

Has anyone experienced this? Is there anything else I should check to help Google replace the old URL with the new one faster?

Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

 

[erp-schoolaura]

You done everything right. Just wait; it takes some time. Like everybody know google is unpredictable while your new page is being discovered, but Google likes to confirm 301 is permanent by recrawling your page many times.

 

[Nemanja]

Nemanja

Mostly, but one thing is worth ruling out before waiting any longer. Run the new URL through URL Inspection and compare the user declared canonical against the Google selected canonical. If the page still declares the old URL as its canonical, which happens when a cache layer or an SEO plugin kept the old slug, then Google is holding a 301 that says move and a canonical that says stay. Waiting does not resolve that one, it just sits there.

If both already point at the new URL then yes, it really is only the recrawl queue.

 

[josephillip]

josephillip

Thanks, that's a really good point. I just checked URL Inspection again and both the user-declared and Google-selected canonical are pointing to the new URL, so it doesn't look like a canonical mismatch. At least I can rule that out now. Hopefully it's just a matter of Google recrawling and updating the search results. I appreciate the suggestion.

 

[Nemanja]

Nemanja

Hopefully it's just a matter of Google recrawling and updating the search results.

Recrawl is probably it, but there is one report worth watching so you know it is actually progressing rather than stuck. In Search Console open Page indexing and find the old URL. While it still sits under Indexed, Google has not processed the redirect yet. When it moves to Page with redirect, the swap is done on their side even if the SERP takes longer to catch up.

The other thing I would check is what links to each version. The old URL is the one that collected external links over the years, and a 301 passes that but does not make the new path look independently established. If the only things pointing at the new URL are your own internal links, Google has little reason to hurry. Also be careful judging this with a site: query, those results are cached oddly and I have chased ghosts that way more than once.

 

[arindamb]

One thing gets missed a lot here: Google has to recrawl the old URL to see the 301. Submitting the new one does not trigger that. Inspect the old URL in Search Console and request indexing on it. Sounds backwards, but that is what forces a fetch of the old path so the redirect actually gets processed.

Also double check the sitemap only lists the new URL now. Some plugins regenerate it on their own schedule and quietly put the old path back in.

 

[josephillip]

josephillip

I hadn't thought about requesting indexing for the old URL itself, so thanks for mentioning that. I'll do that and also double-check that my sitemap only contains the new URL. I'm using an SEO plugin, so it's definitely worth making sure the old path hasn't been added back automatically. Thanks for the helpful advice.

 

[contesthelper89]

The first thing I would check is whether the canonical tag on the new URL points to itself. It’s also a good idea to ensure there are no internal links or redirects still pointing to the old URL. Assuming the 301 is set up correctly, the sitemap is updated, and the new page is indexed, it’s really just a matter of waiting for Google to catch up, which may take several weeks.