Understanding Unusual Redirects in Google Search Console: Malware Concerns or Normal Activity?

If you’re monitoring your website’s performance through Google Search Console, you might occasionally come across unexpected or suspicious redirects listed in your reports — especially within the “Excluded by ‘noindex’ tag” section of the Page Indexing report. Recently, some website owners have raised questions about these unusual entries, wondering whether they might indicate malware or malicious activity.

What Are These Redirects?

In Google Search Console, the “Excluded” section shows pages that Google has chosen not to index for reasons such as “noindex” tags, canonical issues, or other factors. Sometimes, within this list, you may see entries that appear as redirects to unfamiliar or seemingly spammy URLs. For example, a screenshot shared by a website owner revealed a series of redirects that looked suspicious—these could be redirects leading to spammy sites, malware, or just benign bots probing your site.

Are These Redirects a Cause for Concern?

While it’s natural to be worried about security, not all unusual redirects are necessarily malicious. Many times, bots or crawlers from various sources scan websites, attempting to access administrative pages or other sensitive areas. Some of these requests might result in redirects or be classified as “spammy-looking” activity, but they do not always indicate an active malware infection.

However, persistent or unusual redirects to unfamiliar domains could suggest the presence of malware on your site or exploit attempts by malicious actors. It’s important to conduct thorough checks to determine the cause.

How to Investigate Further

1. Check Your Website for Malware:
2. Use reputable security plugins such as Wordfence, Sucuri Security, or MalCare to scan your site for malware or vulnerabilities.
3. Review Server Logs:
4. Examine your server logs to identify the source of these redirect requests. Look for patterns or IP addresses that may indicate automated bots or malicious activity.
5. Verify Your Site’s Files:
6. Inspect your website files, especially those related to redirects, plugins, and themes, for any unfamiliar or suspicious code.
7. Update and Harden Security:
8. Ensure your WordPress installation, plugins, and themes are up to date.

9. Implement security best practices such as strong passwords and two-factor authentication.

10. Monitor Backlinks and Traffic:

11. Use analytics tools to identify sudden spikes or unusual traffic sources that might be related to spam or malicious activity.

When to Seek Professional Help

If you discover persistent redirects to unknown