diff --git a/src/Umbraco.Examine/ContentIndexPopulator.cs b/src/Umbraco.Examine/ContentIndexPopulator.cs
index 99ff4d7f87..01a7046723 100644
--- a/src/Umbraco.Examine/ContentIndexPopulator.cs
+++ b/src/Umbraco.Examine/ContentIndexPopulator.cs
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@ using System.Linq;
 using Examine;
 using Umbraco.Core;
 using Umbraco.Core.Models;
+using Umbraco.Core.Models.Blocks;
 using Umbraco.Core.Services;
 using Umbraco.Core.Persistence;
 using Umbraco.Core.Persistence.DatabaseModelDefinitions;
@@ -15,7 +16,7 @@ namespace Umbraco.Examine
     /// <summary>
     /// Performs the data lookups required to rebuild a content index
     /// </summary>
-    public class ContentIndexPopulator : IndexPopulator<IUmbracoContentIndex>
+    public class ContentIndexPopulator : IndexPopulator<IUmbracoContentIndex2>
     {
         private readonly IContentService _contentService;
         private readonly IValueSetBuilder<IContent> _contentValueSetBuilder;
@@ -58,6 +59,12 @@ namespace Umbraco.Examine
             _parentId = parentId;
         }
 
+        public override bool IsRegistered(IUmbracoContentIndex2 index)
+        {
+            // check if it should populate based on published values
+            return _publishedValuesOnly == index.PublishedValuesOnly;
+        }
+
         protected override void PopulateIndexes(IReadOnlyList<IIndex> indexes)
         {
             if (indexes.Count == 0) return;
@@ -70,21 +77,24 @@ namespace Umbraco.Examine
             {
                 contentParentId = _parentId.Value;
             }
+
+            if (_publishedValuesOnly)
+            {
+                IndexPublishedContent(contentParentId, pageIndex, pageSize, indexes);
+            }
+            else
+            {
+                IndexAllContent(contentParentId, pageIndex, pageSize, indexes);
+            }
+        }
+
+        protected void IndexAllContent(int contentParentId, int pageIndex, int pageSize, IReadOnlyList<IIndex> indexes)
+        {
             IContent[] content;
 
             do
             {
-                if (!_publishedValuesOnly)
-                {
-                    content = _contentService.GetPagedDescendants(contentParentId, pageIndex, pageSize, out _).ToArray();
-                }
-                else
-                {
-                    //add the published filter
-                    //note: We will filter for published variants in the validator
-                    content = _contentService.GetPagedDescendants(contentParentId, pageIndex, pageSize, out _,
-                        _publishedQuery, Ordering.By("Path", Direction.Ascending)).ToArray();
-                }
+                content = _contentService.GetPagedDescendants(contentParentId, pageIndex, pageSize, out _).ToArray();
 
                 if (content.Length > 0)
                 {
@@ -96,5 +106,54 @@ namespace Umbraco.Examine
                 pageIndex++;
             } while (content.Length == pageSize);
         }
+
+        protected void IndexPublishedContent(int contentParentId, int pageIndex, int pageSize,
+            IReadOnlyList<IIndex> indexes)
+        {
+            IContent[] content;
+
+            var publishedPages = new HashSet<int>();
+
+            do
+            {
+                //add the published filter
+                //note: We will filter for published variants in the validator
+                content = _contentService.GetPagedDescendants(contentParentId, pageIndex, pageSize, out _, _publishedQuery,
+                    Ordering.By("Path", Direction.Ascending)).ToArray();
+
+                
+                if (content.Length > 0)
+                {
+                    var indexableContent = new List<IContent>();
+
+                    foreach (var item in content)
+                    {
+                        if (item.Level == 1)
+                        {
+                            // first level pages are always published so no need to filter them
+                            indexableContent.Add(item);
+                            publishedPages.Add(item.Id);
+                        }
+                        else
+                        {
+                            if (publishedPages.Contains(item.ParentId))
+                            {
+                                // only index when parent is published
+                                publishedPages.Add(item.Id);
+                                indexableContent.Add(item);
+                            }
+                        }
+                    }
+
+                    // ReSharper disable once PossibleMultipleEnumeration
+                    foreach (var index in indexes)
+                        index.IndexItems(_contentValueSetBuilder.GetValueSets(indexableContent.ToArray()));
+                }
+
+                pageIndex++;
+            } while (content.Length == pageSize);
+        }
     }
+
+
 }
diff --git a/src/Umbraco.Examine/IUmbracoContentIndex.cs b/src/Umbraco.Examine/IUmbracoContentIndex.cs
index 3181ff663e..b718ec6bce 100644
--- a/src/Umbraco.Examine/IUmbracoContentIndex.cs
+++ b/src/Umbraco.Examine/IUmbracoContentIndex.cs
@@ -2,6 +2,20 @@ using Examine;
 
 namespace Umbraco.Examine
 {
+    /// <summary>
+    /// Marker interface for indexes of Umbraco content
+    /// </summary>
+    /// <remarks>
+    /// This is a backwards compat change, in next major version remove the need for this and just have a single interface
+    /// </remarks>
+    public interface IUmbracoContentIndex2 : IUmbracoContentIndex
+    {
+        bool PublishedValuesOnly { get; }
+    }
+
+    /// <summary>
+    /// Marker interface for indexes of Umbraco content
+    /// </summary>
     public interface IUmbracoContentIndex : IIndex
     {
 
diff --git a/src/Umbraco.Examine/IndexPopulator.cs b/src/Umbraco.Examine/IndexPopulator.cs
index f9d4d85dc8..bfd757f9be 100644
--- a/src/Umbraco.Examine/IndexPopulator.cs
+++ b/src/Umbraco.Examine/IndexPopulator.cs
@@ -13,9 +13,16 @@ namespace Umbraco.Examine
     {
         public override bool IsRegistered(IIndex index)
         {
-            if (base.IsRegistered(index)) return true;
-            return index is TIndex;
+            if (base.IsRegistered(index))
+                return true;
+
+            if (!(index is TIndex casted))
+                return false;
+
+            return IsRegistered(casted);
         }
+
+        public virtual bool IsRegistered(TIndex index) => true;
     }
 
     public abstract class IndexPopulator : IIndexPopulator
diff --git a/src/Umbraco.Examine/UmbracoContentIndex.cs b/src/Umbraco.Examine/UmbracoContentIndex.cs
index 67e430b4e9..88033b1407 100644
--- a/src/Umbraco.Examine/UmbracoContentIndex.cs
+++ b/src/Umbraco.Examine/UmbracoContentIndex.cs
@@ -17,7 +17,7 @@ namespace Umbraco.Examine
     /// <summary>
     /// An indexer for Umbraco content and media
     /// </summary>
-    public class UmbracoContentIndex : UmbracoExamineIndex, IUmbracoContentIndex
+    public class UmbracoContentIndex : UmbracoExamineIndex, IUmbracoContentIndex2
     {
         public const string VariesByCultureFieldName = SpecialFieldPrefix + "VariesByCulture";
         protected ILocalizationService LanguageService { get; }
diff --git a/src/Umbraco.Tests/UmbracoExamine/IndexInitializer.cs b/src/Umbraco.Tests/UmbracoExamine/IndexInitializer.cs
index e9f18d8947..1a288b423c 100644
--- a/src/Umbraco.Tests/UmbracoExamine/IndexInitializer.cs
+++ b/src/Umbraco.Tests/UmbracoExamine/IndexInitializer.cs
@@ -45,7 +45,7 @@ namespace Umbraco.Tests.UmbracoExamine
         public static ContentIndexPopulator GetContentIndexRebuilder(PropertyEditorCollection propertyEditors, IContentService contentService, IScopeProvider scopeProvider, bool publishedValuesOnly)
         {
             var contentValueSetBuilder = GetContentValueSetBuilder(propertyEditors, scopeProvider, publishedValuesOnly);
-            var contentIndexDataSource = new ContentIndexPopulator(true, null, contentService, scopeProvider.SqlContext, contentValueSetBuilder);
+            var contentIndexDataSource = new ContentIndexPopulator(publishedValuesOnly, null, contentService, scopeProvider.SqlContext, contentValueSetBuilder);
             return contentIndexDataSource;
         }