Google can store a page and still avoid showing it. In 2026, indexing is memory, not a promise of impressions. This explains the mechanism (storage → retrieval → selection), the common misconceptions, and what actually changes visibility.
A single-intent entry page: the most common reasons Google does not index URLs (crawl blocks, canonical ambiguity, duplication, low priority, and “systemic irrelevance”), plus the fastest way to verify which gate you are failing.
“Indexed but not ranking” is usually not a technical SEO bug. It’s a selection problem: the system can store your page, but it isn’t confident that showing it is a low-regret outcome. This essay explains the mechanism and the signals that create visibility.
Technical SEO creates eligibility (crawlable, canonical, indexable). It does not create selection. This essay explains the missing axis: outcome certainty — the system’s confidence that showing your URL is a low-regret, repeatable decision.
E-E-A-T is not a checklist and it is not a single ranking factor. It is a risk filter: Google’s way to reduce embarrassment, misinformation, and low-regret outcomes when it chooses what to show (and what to cite in AI answers). This essay explains the system model behind E‑E‑A‑T — and what signals actually make a source legible.