What does "Likely Indexed" actually mean?

Navigating the complexities of Google Indexing for larger websites, presents its own set of challenges due to rate limit restrictions inherent in the Google Search Console API. This often results in us facing difficulty in providing an accurate real-time index status for every single page. Depending on the scale of the website, this process can extend from a few days to several weeks to comprehensively assess all pages.

Clearly, this delay isn't ideal, especially if you're eager to swiftly proceed with indexing your site using the Auto Index process.

To streamline this process and identify pages we believe are already indexed, we've devised an alternative approach. By tapping into Google Search Console analytics data, we can determine if a particular page is currently receiving any search impressions. Any page garnering at least one impression is flagged as "Likely Indexed".

This flag serves as a valuable tool, enabling us to exclude a substantial number of pages from the Auto Index process, allowing us to focus on those pages that are genuinely unindexed.

As each day unfolds, we diligently progress through the pages, acquiring their actual index status. Once obtained, this status replaces the "Likely Indexed" flag. Consider it a temporary early indicator designed to expedite the process.