How to Detect Expired Pages with Impressions in Google Search Console (GSC)
To detect expired pages with impressions in GSC, filter your performance report by pages with impressions but no clicks, sort by highest impressions, and match against your current sitemap to identify outdated or irrelevant URLs still appearing in searches.
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Key Takaways
Frequently Asked Questions
Why should I care about expired pages with impressions in GSC?
It means users see the page in search results but don’t find it relevant or enticing enough to click—often a sign of outdated or irrelevant content.
What does it mean when a page gets impressions but no clicks?
It means users see the page in search results but don’t find it relevant or enticing enough to click—often a sign of outdated or irrelevant content.
How often should I audit impressions for expired pages?
Ideally, every quarter or during major site updates. Regular audits keep your index clean and focused on valuable content.
Should I delete all expired pages?
Not necessarily. Consider redirecting high-authority pages or updating content with fresh information instead of outright deletion.
Can expired pages hurt my SEO rankings?
Yes. They dilute relevance signals and waste crawl energy that could be spent on strategic pages, especially if they get impressions with no clicks.
Step by Step Plan
Access the Performance Report in GSC
Navigate to 'Search Results' under the Performance section to view all indexed pages and their metrics.
Filter by Impressions > 0 and Clicks = 0
Set filters to show only pages that get views but no engagement, a red flag for expired or low-quality content.
Sort by Highest Impressions
Prioritize review of the most visible pages that users aren’t clicking on, pinpointing wasted opportunities.
Sort by Highest Impressions
Compare GSC data with your current URLs to identify outdated, removed, or unlinked pages still indexed.
Decide on Action: Redirect, Update, or Remove
Based on intent and relevance, apply a 301 redirect, refresh the content, or add a noindex directive to manage your expired pages.
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