Google Search Console is alerting site owners about issues detected in recent HTTP to HTTPS migrations. These notifications inform owners about pages that are no longer appearing in Google search due to them being unfound.
The notification from Search Console states:
“Google systems identified that you recently migrated your site from HTTP to HTTPS. Approximately 80% of your HTTP pages that were indexed before migration can no longer be found in either your HTTP or HTTPS site. Therefore, these pages are no longer accessible from Google search. If these pages were moved to your HTTPS site, we encourage you to help us find them and include them in Google Search.”
Alan Bleiweiss shared an example on Twitter:
“Ooooh first time seeing this. ‘Site migration gone wrong’ notice.”
Google’s John Mueller responded, explaining that these errors usually result from flawed or incomplete migrations, and they’re attempting to assist when these issues are identified. He expressed hope that this type of notification is helpful.
Another Twitter user commented: “Looks like someone needed a web developer with SEO knowledge.” This comment aligns with the issue, given that the example shows 80% of the pages are no longer discoverable.
Google has repeatedly emphasized that webmasters must provide clear guidance during such migrations. This involves setting up redirects for every page. Without instructions, Google cannot locate the new pages independently. It also requires directives like rel=canonical or a 301 redirect to understand that a new page is meant to replace an old one.
Site migrations typically encounter challenges, but Google’s notifications help webmasters address scenarios where HTTPS versions of HTTP pages cannot be found.
