Validation failed in Search Console: why it happens and what to do

This guide shows you what to do when you see validation failed search console on an issue you thought was fixed: how to find the URLs that failed, why it happens for each common issue type, and how to restart validation properly. A failed validation is frustrating, but it is useful data, because Google is telling you exactly which URLs still show the problem.

Why did my Search Console validation fail?

Your validation failed because Google rechecked the affected URLs and found that a certain threshold of them still had the same issue. That is the definition of the Failed state in Google’s help article on fixing issues and validating them. It does not mean your fix is useless; it means it did not reach enough of the URLs Google checked.

In my experience, failures come from a short list of causes:

• The fix only covered some URLs. You fixed the examples you saw, but the same template or rule affects other URLs too.
• A cache served the old version. Your page, plugin cache or CDN still gave Google the broken response.
• The issue is intentional on some URLs. For example, you left tag pages noindexed on purpose but they were still in the issue list.
• New instances appeared. Google found new URLs with the issue during normal crawling while validation was running.
• The issue is not fixable by you directly. Statuses like Crawled, currently not indexed reflect Google’s choice, not a technical error.

Google’s help for some reports also says Search Console may check a few sample pages first, and if the error still exists on those, validation ends early. That is why a failure can arrive within days rather than weeks.

What do the validation states mean?

Each issue shows one validation state, and each URL inside it has its own state. Knowing both tells you exactly where the problem is. This reference table summarises Google’s definitions:

How do I fix a failed validation step by step?

You fix a failed validation by working from the failed URLs back to the shared cause, confirming the fix on live pages, and only then starting a new validation. These are the steps I follow.

1. Open the validation log. In the report, click the issue, then See details. Filter or sort by Failed.
2. Export the failed and pending URLs. Put them in a sheet next to the URLs that passed.
3. Compare the groups. Look for what the failed URLs share: a template, a folder, a language, a plugin or a date.
4. Inspect a failed URL. Use URL Inspection and Test live URL to see what Google gets now. If the live test is clean, the failure may come from an older crawl or a cache that has since cleared.
5. Fix the shared cause in the template, rule or setting, not on individual pages.
6. Remove intentional exceptions. If some URLs should keep the status, take them out of your sitemap and internal links so they stop counting against your fix.
7. Purge every cache layer and recheck a few failed URLs live.
8. Click Start new validation. Google rechecks URLs marked Pending or Failed, plus any new instances found through crawling. URLs that already passed are not rechecked.

How long does Search Console validation take?

Google says validation typically takes up to about two weeks, but in some cases it can take much longer. Large sites and URLs that Google crawls rarely tend to sit in Pending for longer, because each one has to be recrawled.

Use the waiting time productively. Spot check a few Pending URLs with the live test every few days. If they all look fixed, the validation will very likely pass. If one looks broken, you have found the next failure before Google does.

Should I click validate fix again after it fails?

Only click Start new validation after you have fixed the URLs that failed, because restarting with the same problem will simply fail again and cost you another wait. Google’s Page indexing report help also says not to click Validate fix again until validation has succeeded or failed.

Some issues should not be validated at all. Here is how I treat common issue types:

• Technical errors such as server errors, redirect errors, 403 and soft 404: fix and validate. See my soft 404 guide for that one.
• Intentional exclusions such as noindex or alternate pages with a proper canonical: validate only the URLs you actually changed.
• Quality and priority statuses such as crawled, currently not indexed: improve the pages, but expect validation to fail often, because indexing remains Google’s decision.

How do I validate the fix in Search Console after a failure?

You validate the fix by confirming it on live URLs first, then clicking Start new validation from the validation log, and following the URL states until the issue shows Passed. The process is the same as the first attempt, but you now have a list of exactly which URLs to watch.

1. Run Test live URL on three to five of the URLs that failed last time and confirm the issue is gone in each result.
2. Request indexing for the most important of them, keeping in mind the daily limit on requests.
3. Open the issue, click See details and then Start new validation.
4. Check the log every few days. URLs move from Pending to Passed, Failed or Other as Google recrawls them.
5. If a URL fails again, inspect it straight away instead of waiting for the whole run to finish, so the next fix is ready.

Keep a simple note of the date you started each validation and what you changed. When several issues are being fixed at once, that log saves a lot of guessing about which change made the difference.

What does a failed validation look like when you dig in?

If validations keep failing and you cannot see the pattern, the Search Console errors guide covers each status, and my technical SEO service includes working through validation logs with you.

Frequently asked questions

Sources

Facts checked against these official pages. Read how I check facts in my editorial policy.

• Google Search Console Help: Fix issues and validate them in Search Console reports
• Google Search Console Help: Page indexing report