Define which pages belong in the index
An indexing audit starts with your intended pages, not a target percentage. Public articles and product pages may belong in search; duplicate variants, internal search results and private pages may not. A URL missing from Google's index is only a problem when you expect that URL to be searchable.
A sitemap provides a useful input list, but submitting one does not guarantee indexing. Start with a current sitemap or a deliberately chosen URL list so old redirects and intentional exclusions do not dominate the review.
How mowteng checks the URLs
The insights_index_audit tool accepts a sitemap, sitemap index or URL list. It inspects URLs and reports which Google has not indexed. This uses the property's URL Inspection quota of 2,000 inspections per day, with paging for longer audits. Track which URLs have been checked and continue with the next page of results instead of repeating the same batch.
For a specific result, gsc_inspect_url returns index status, last crawl, canonical and rich results. Read bulk URL inspection for planning batches and inspection quota help if you reach the daily allowance.
Questions for a useful audit
Audit the URLs in my sitemap for Google index status. Report checked URLs, URLs still to check and pages Google has not indexed.
Inspect the unindexed pages from this batch. Show the last crawl and canonical information, and group results by the next check I should make.
Turn exclusions into a work list
Review whether each page should be indexed. Check accidental noindex directives, crawl access, redirects and canonical choices. If Google selected a different canonical, decide whether that is the intended representative page before trying to change it.
A discovered or crawled but unindexed page needs context. Review whether it offers distinct value, whether internal links help readers find it and whether its content loads correctly. Do not treat every exclusion as a submission problem. Fix an identifiable cause before requesting another crawl, and keep a list of URLs for a later inspection.
Check the same evidence manually
Use Search Console's page indexing report for groups of indexed and excluded pages. Then paste important URLs into URL Inspection to review their recorded status, crawl information and canonical selection. Compare those results with your sitemap or URL list. The report and an inspection answer different questions: one summarizes patterns, while the other helps explain a particular URL.