Understanding Why Your Medium Article Might Be De-Indexed: Insights for B2B SaaS Strategists
In the dynamic world of digital marketing and content strategy, maintaining optimal search engine visibility is crucial, especially for B2B SaaS companies seeking to establish authority and attract targeted traffic. Recently, a seasoned strategist in the B2B SaaS industry encountered an unexpected challenge: one of their Medium articles, which previously ranked fifth in search engine results pages (SERPs), suddenly disappeared from indexation. This incident underscores the importance of understanding potential reasons behind de-indexing and how to address such issues effectively.
Case Overview
The strategist had created a Medium account dedicated to their company’s thought leadership and regularly published relevant articles aimed at their audience. One particular article had enjoyed a strong SERP position, significantly contributing to organic visibility and Engagement. However, after some time, the article’s ranking dropped to zero, and subsequent investigation revealed that it had been de-indexed by search engines.
Possible Causes of De-Indexing
De-indexing of content can occur due to various factors, ranging from technical issues to content violations or indexing policies. Below are some common reasons why a previously indexed article might be removed from search engine results:
- Technical Issues with the Platform or URL Structure
- Changes in URL structure or canonical tags can cause search engines to reconsider indexing.
- Server errors or misconfigured robots.txt files may inadvertently block search engine crawlers.
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Medium-specific settings, such as privacy or visibility configurations, might affect indexing.
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Content Violations or Violations of Search Engine Guidelines
- Publishing content that violates platform policies or webmaster guidelines can lead to de-indexing.
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Duplicate content or content flagged as spam might be removed.
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Manual or Algorithmic Penalties
- Search engines may de-index content if it is deemed low quality, spammy, or deceptive, often as a result of algorithmic updates.
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Manual penalties can also be applied if the platform or search engines identify violations.
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Changes in Medium’s Policies or Platform Features
- Updates or policy changes by Medium could influence content visibility and indexation.
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If an article is marked as unpublished or restricted, it might not be indexed.
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Temporary Technical Glitches
- Search engine indexing can sometimes be temporarily affected by crawling issues or platform bugs.
Best Practices to Prevent and Address De-Indexing
To safeguard valuable content