As an avid researcher passionate about the ancient Indian Hindu scriptures, my goal has always been to share my findings and insights with a wider audience. When I started my blog, my initial choice was Blogger (https://kathaofdevas.blogspot.com/) – a free, familiar platform from Google itself, which seemed like a natural fit for my content.
However, after months of dedicated effort in researching and writing, it became clear that a fundamental hurdle was preventing my content from reaching its intended readers through Google Search. Despite a technically sound website, my posts were simply not being discovered by the very search engine I hoped would bring them to light.
The Blogger Experience: A Paradox of Performance and Invisibility
From a technical standpoint, my Blogger site was, by all accounts, performing exceptionally well. According to Google's own PageSpeed Insights – a tool that assesses website performance and SEO – my site consistently achieved strong scores:
Performance: Consistently in the high 90s (98-99) for both mobile and desktop.
Accessibility: A perfect 100 for both.
Best Practices: A perfect 100 for both.
SEO: A perfect 100 for both.
These scores indicated a fast, user-friendly, and highly optimized website. I was confident that my efforts in creating valuable, original research on these ancient texts would soon lead to discovery in search results.
The Unseen Wall: "General HTTP Error" and Zero Indexed Pages
Despite these excellent metrics, a critical and persistent barrier emerged within Google Search Console (GSC) – the official tool Google provides to monitor how your site performs in its search results. For months, GSC repeatedly reported that my sitemap (https://kathaofdevas.blogspot.com/sitemap.xml) "could not be read" due to a "General HTTP error."
This was a fundamental communication breakdown: Google's automated crawlers, which discover and process website content, were literally unable to fetch the sitemap file. A sitemap acts like a roadmap for search engines, guiding them to all the pages on your site. If the roadmap can't be read, new content goes undiscovered.
As a direct and persistent consequence of this error, my Blogger site registered zero indexed pages in Google Search. This meant that despite my research, my blog was invisible to anyone searching for related topics on Google. All the traffic my blog did receive came from direct links shared on social media – Google Search played no part in it.
This wasn't an issue with my content's quality, my on-page SEO efforts (how well individual pages are optimized), or even my site's speed. It was a platform-level server error, entirely outside of my control as a user. Attempts to seek resolution in community forums, while appreciated, confirmed that these were systemic issues inherent to the platform for some users, with no clear fix available from my end.
The Substack Solution: Immediate Discoverability (Planned Migration)
Facing this prolonged invisibility for my hard work, I began to explore alternative publishing platforms. I decided to try Substack, primarily known for newsletters, but also offering robust blogging capabilities. My initial tests with Substack, involving a smaller set of content, have shown a stark contrast.
Within days of setting up my Substack publication (https://writtenbybabu.substack.com/) and submitting its RSS feed (which serves as its sitemap) to Google Search Console, I saw an immediate and crucial change:
The sitemap was successfully read by Google Search Console. Crucially, pages on my Substack publication began to be "Discovered" and indexed by Google Search almost instantly. My content was finally becoming discoverable, eligible to appear in search results.
The Trade-off: Speed vs. Visibility
It's worth noting an interesting trade-off: Substack's PageSpeed scores are not as high as my Blogger site's were, with mobile performance typically in the 40s and desktop in the 60s.
While not ideal, these scores are secondary to the primary goal: getting indexed. A platform that might be slightly slower but ensures content is actually found by search engines is, for me, infinitely more valuable than a lightning-fast site that remains invisible. Substack also offers excellent features for organizing content into sections (perfect for my Hindu scripture research topics), and powerful audience-building tools.
Lessons Learned for Content Creators
My journey from Blogger's persistent indexing challenges to Substack's promising initial results has led me to a critical conclusion:
Technical reliability and basic discoverability (a working sitemap and successful indexing) are non-negotiable for online content. Without these fundamental elements, even the best content remains hidden from search engines.
While free platforms can be a great starting point, sometimes inherent, fundamental issues outside a creator's control can severely limit reach and negate efforts.
Always monitor your site's indexing status in Google Search Console. If you face persistent, unresolvable issues like "sitemap could not be read" errors, don't hesitate to explore alternative platforms that prioritize seamless search engine compatibility.
I am now planning to migrate my Puranas research blog to Substack soon, excited that my work can finally reach the broader audience it's intended for through search, in addition to social media.
Thank you for following my journey. You can find my latest posts at https://writtenbybabu.substack.com/.
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