What does “Validate Fix” mean in Google Search Console?
The “Validate Fix” feature in Google Search Console (GSC) is a tool that allows website owners and SEOs to notify Google that they have fixed an issue previously flagged in Search Console. By clicking the “Validate Fix” button, you are essentially requesting Google to recheck the affected pages and confirm whether the problem has been resolved.
This feature is commonly used for errors related to:
✅ Indexing issues (e.g., “Page not indexed,” “Crawled – currently not indexed”)
✅ Core Web Vitals (e.g., “LCP issue: longer than 2.5s”)
✅ Mobile usability problems (e.g., “Clickable elements too close together”)
✅ Security & manual actions (e.g., “Security issue detected”)
When you request a validation, Google’s bots will recrawl the affected pages and check whether they now meet the necessary requirements. If the fix is successful, the issue will be marked as “Passed.” If not, Google will return a “Validation Failed” status, indicating that the problem still exists.
“Validate Fix” does not guarantee immediate reindexing or ranking improvements – it simply tells Google, “Hey, I fixed this – please take another look!”
How to use the “Validate Fix” feature in Google Search Console
If you’ve ever had an issue flagged in GSC – like an indexing problem or a mobile usability error – you’ve probably noticed the “Validate Fix” button. But what exactly does it do? In short, it’s Google’s way of letting you confirm that you’ve resolved an issue and want them to take another look.
Let’s go through the process step by step.
Step 1: Identifying an issue
Before you can validate a fix, you need to know what’s actually broken.
1. Log in to Google Search Console and select your website.
2. Navigate to the “Pages” or “Core Web Vitals” section (depending on the type of issue).
3. Look for errors like:
- Alternate page with proper canonical tag
- Not found (404)
- Blocked by robots.txt
- Crawled – currently not indexed
- Discovered – currently not indexed
4. Click on the error to see a breakdown of affected pages and Google’s suggested fixes.
At this point, you’re basically playing detective. Google has flagged something as a problem, and it’s up to you to figure out why it’s happening and how to fix it.
Step 2: Fixing the issue on your website
Now that you know what’s wrong, it’s time to fix it. Depending on the error, this step can be quick or require some deeper work.
✅ For indexing issues → Make sure your page isn’t blocked by robots.txt, has a valid canonical tag, and isn’t marked as “noindex”.
✅ For Core Web Vitals → Improve your site speed, optimize images, and reduce heavy scripts.
✅ For mobile usability errors → Check that text is readable, buttons are properly spaced, and the site is mobile-friendly.
Once you’ve made the necessary changes, give it some time before moving on to the next step. Google needs to be able to detect your fix, and sometimes updates don’t show up immediately.
Step 3: Requesting validation
Now that you’ve fixed the issue, it’s time to tell Google, “Hey, I fixed this – check again!”
- Go back to Google Search Console and find the issue.
- Click “Validate Fix.”
- Google will now start the validation process, sending its bots to check if the problem is resolved.
At this point, you don’t need to do anything except wait. Google will take its time to crawl the page again and confirm whether the fix is successful.
Step 4: Monitoring the validation status
After you hit “Validate Fix”, Google will give you one of the following status updates:
🔄 “Validation Started” – Google has received your request and is checking the fix.
⏳ “Pending” – Google is still reviewing the affected pages.
❌ “Failed” – The issue wasn’t fully resolved (check what’s still wrong).
✅ “Passed” – Success! The issue is fixed.
This process can take a few days to a few weeks, depending on Google’s crawl frequency.
A few extra tips
✔ Double-check your fix before hitting “Validate Fix.” If Google finds the issue again, it won’t check it for a while.
✔ Use the URL Inspection Tool to confirm that Google can see the page correctly.
✔ Be patient! Google doesn’t validate fixes instantly – give it time.
Common issues that require validation in Google Search Console
When managing a website, it’s common to run into various GSC errors that need attention. After fixing these issues, you’ll want to use the “Validate Fix” feature to notify Google that the problem has been resolved. But which issues actually require validation?
Below are the most frequent types of errors that should be validated after fixing them.
1. Indexing errors
Indexing errors occur when Google fails to properly crawl or include a page in search results. These errors can severely impact your website’s visibility, making validation an essential step after fixing them.
Common indexing errors that require validation:
🔴 “Page is not indexed” – Google attempted to crawl the page but didn’t add it to its index.
🔴 “Crawled – currently not indexed” – Google saw the page but decided not to index it (possibly due to low content quality).
🔴 “Discovered – currently not indexed” – Google is aware of the page but hasn’t crawled it yet.
🔴 “Blocked by robots.txt” – The page is blocked from crawling, often unintentionally.
🔴 “Page with redirect” – Google can’t index the page because it redirects somewhere else.
How to fix & validate
1. Use Google’s URL Inspection Tool to check the page’s current index status.
2. Ensure the page isn’t blocked by robots.txt or noindex meta tags.
3. Improve the page’s content if it’s being ignored due to quality issues.
4. Once fixed, click “Validate Fix” in GSC and wait for Google to reprocess it.
2. Core Web Vitals failures
Core Web Vitals (CWV) are performance metrics that impact both user experience and SEO rankings. If Google flags poor performance in your Core Web Vitals report, you’ll need to fix the issue and validate the improvement.
Common Core Web Vitals issues that need validation
⚠️ LCP (Largest Contentful Paint) too slow – The main content of your page loads too slowly.
⚠️ FID (First Input Delay) too high – Your site is unresponsive to user interactions.
⚠️ CLS (Cumulative Layout Shift) is too high – The page shifts while loading, causing a bad experience.
How to fix & validate
1. Optimize images & lazy load to improve LCP.
2. Reduce JavaScript blocking & server response time for better FID.
3. Ensure stable dimensions for elements (images, ads, embeds) to avoid CLS shifts.
4. After implementing fixes, use PageSpeed Insights to check improvements.
5. In GSC, go to Core Web Vitals, find the issue, and click “Validate Fix.”
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3. Security & Manual Actions
Google takes security threats and policy violations seriously. If your website is flagged for security issues or receives a manual action, your search visibility can be significantly impacted until the issue is resolved and validated.
Common Security & Manual Action issues that need validation
🔒 Hacked content – Your website contains unauthorized changes (malware, spam, redirects).
⚠️ Malware or phishing warning – Google has flagged your site as unsafe for users.
🚫 Spam or manual penalty – Your site violates Google’s guidelines (e.g., unnatural backlinks, keyword stuffing).
How to Fix & Validate:
- Use Google’s Security Issues report to identify the problem.
- Remove any malicious code, spammy content, or unsafe scripts.
- If penalized, correct policy violations and submit a Reconsideration Request.
- Once resolved, click “Validate Fix” in GSC and wait for Google’s review.
How long does Google take to validate fixes?
After you submit a “Validate Fix” request in GSC, you’re probably wondering: How long will it take for Google to confirm the fix? The short answer: it depends. Validation isn’t instant, and the time required varies based on multiple factors.
Let’s break down how long validation usually takes, what can slow it down, and how to track your validation progress.
Average time for validation completion
Google doesn’t provide an exact timeline for how long validation takes, but based on real-world observations, here’s a general estimate:
✅ Simple fixes (e.g., minor indexing issues, mobile usability errors): A few days to 2 weeks
✅ Moderate issues (e.g., Core Web Vitals improvements, structured data fixes): 2 to 4 weeks
✅ Complex fixes (e.g., large-scale site-wide indexing problems, security issues): 4+ weeks
After submitting a fix, Google’s bots recrawl the affected pages and verify whether the issue has truly been resolved. Some pages might be checked faster than others, depending on crawl frequency and priority.
What affects validation speed?
How fast Google processes your validation request depends on a few key factors:
🔹 Type of Issue – Simple fixes like minor HTML changes or indexing adjustments get validated quickly. More complex issues, like Core Web Vitals improvements or security fixes, can take significantly longer.
🔹 Website Size – The more pages your site has, the longer it takes for Google to crawl and validate changes.
🔹 Crawl Frequency – If Googlebot doesn’t visit your site often, validation will naturally take more time.
🔹 Google’s Workload – If a lot of sites are requesting validation at the same time, Google may take longer to process yours.
🔹 Fix Quality – If your fix isn’t fully implemented or still has issues, Google won’t pass it, meaning you’ll have to start the process over.
If validation seems to be dragging on, it’s usually not a problem on your end – Google follows its own schedule when rechecking pages.
How to check the validation progress
Google Search Console provides real-time status updates on your validation request. Here’s how to track it:
1. Open Google Search Console and click on the notification bell icon in the top-right corner. This will display any alerts or issues detected by Google, including problems related to indexing, coverage, or Core Web Vitals.
2. Click on the notification bell icon in the top-right corner of Google Search Console. Then, select the notification related to the issue you fixed. In the message panel, click “See validation flow progress” to track the validation status of your fix.
3. Possible statuses include:
“Validation Started” – Google is rechecking the issue.
“Pending” – The process is still ongoing (stay patient).
“Failed” – The issue still exists, and you may need to fix it again.
“Passed” – Google confirms the issue is resolved (success!).
How to troubleshoot validation errors
If your validation request fails, don’t panic – here’s how to diagnose and fix the problem:
1. Use the URL Inspection Tool
Go to Google Search Console and enter the affected URL in the URL Inspection Tool:
Click “Test Live URL” to see what Google sees.
You need to recheck your fix if Googlebot can’t access the page or still finds issues.
2. Compare before and after fixes
Before you hit “Validate Fix,” take a moment to double-check everything:
1️⃣ Review the original issue in GSC to see what was flagged before you made any changes.
2️⃣ Compare it with the current version of your page – does the fix show up in the page source?
3️⃣ Use debugging tools like PageSpeed Insights (for Core Web Vitals), the Mobile-Friendly Test, or the robots.txt tester to ensure everything is working as expected.
These steps will help you avoid a failed validation and save time in the long run!
3. Ensure Google can reprocess the page
If your fix included technical changes – like updating meta tags, adjusting robots.txt, or fixing structured data – make sure Google can actually detect them. If you recently resolved indexing issues, use the URL Inspection Tool to request a manual recrawl.
And if your site runs on a CDN or uses caching plugins, clear the cache to ensure Google sees the most up-to-date version of your page.
4. Check for additional errors
Fixing one issue can sometimes reveal others. After making changes, check Google Search Console’s reports, like Core Web Vitals, Coverage, and Enhancements, to see if any new errors have popped up.
If you’ve fixed an indexing issue but Google still won’t validate it, take a closer look – there might be structured data errors or manual actions affecting the page.
When to reattempt validation
Once you’re confident the fix is properly applied, you can resubmit a validation request. But timing is key:
✅ Wait until all affected pages are updated – Don’t rush; make sure every impacted page reflects the fix.
✅ Use the URL Inspection Tool – Verify that Google now sees the corrected version of your page.
✅ Ensure Googlebot can crawl the site properly – If validation failed due to crawl issues, wait for Google to recrawl before resubmitting.
✅ If necessary, make additional fixes – If the failure was due to an incomplete fix, adjust accordingly before trying again.
🔁 How often can you retry validation?
Final thoughts
The “Validate Fix” feature in Google Search Console helps website owners confirm that issues like indexing errors, Core Web Vitals failures, or security warnings have been resolved. By clicking “Validate Fix,” you prompt Google to recheck the affected pages. The process can take days to weeks, depending on factors like issue complexity, crawl frequency, and site size.
To improve validation success, ensure fixes are correctly implemented, use debugging tools, and request a recrawl if needed. While validation doesn’t guarantee immediate ranking improvements, it signals to Google that your site is ready for reassessment.
