Search Console, in plain words.
Every article here answers one exact message Google shows you — and says plainly whether anything is actually wrong.
Duplicate, Google chose different canonical than user
"Duplicate, Google chose different canonical than user": your tag arrived. Google read it — and disagreed.
Re-adding the canonical tag won't move this row: Google received it and disagreed. What Google saw, what the traffic numbers hide, and how to argue back.
Duplicate without user-selected canonical
"Duplicate without user-selected canonical": you counted pages, Google counted addresses
You're sure you have no duplicate pages — yet the row appeared. What Google counts as a duplicate, which address it chose for you, and where to see its pick.
Blocked by robots.txt
"Blocked by robots.txt": Google was asked to stay out — and it did. The question is who asked.
"Blocked by robots.txt" in Search Console usually means the block worked. What the file is, why a blocked page can still be listed — and who wrote the rule.
Not found (404)
"Not found (404)" keeps growing. Did something break — or is this your cleanup?
A rising "Not found (404)" count in Search Console is often your own cleanup arriving in Google's report. One test — Google's own — sorts it from a real fault.
Blocked due to access forbidden (403)
"Blocked due to access forbidden (403)": something on your site refused Google. Was it meant to?
"Blocked due to access forbidden (403)": one question sorts a real fault from a lock doing its job — and why a page nothing links to was never a secret.
Alternate page with proper canonical tag
"Alternate page with proper canonical tag" means that page is fine. Here's how to prove it.
Google's own message says "proper" — you got it right. Why a correct page is filed under "Why pages aren't indexed", and how to prove yours needs nothing.
Page with redirect
"Page with redirect" in Search Console: usually nothing is broken. Here's how to be sure.
Search Console says these pages "aren't indexed or served on Google." Usually the row is a working redirect — one of mine was a missing slash. How to be sure.
Excluded by 'noindex' tag
Google says my page has a "noindex" tag — but I never added one
Search Console says a page has a "noindex" tag you never added. What that one line of text means, which checkbox usually wrote it, and how to see it yourself.
Validation started
It has said "Validation started" for two months. Is Google still checking?
Google's email says a few days. Its help page says about two weeks. Forum threads say months. What the wait means, and how to stop depending on it.
Validation failed
Search Console says "Validation failed". Here's what that means and how to tell whether your fix worked.
"Validation failed" doesn't mean your fix was wrong. It means one page still looked broken when Google checked. How to find that page and what to do next.