An efficient method for the synthesis of alkyl benzoyl indanones via a simple intermolecular Heck coupling followed by intramolecular condensation, and alkylation is presented. Notably, the strategy exhibited good substrate scope and enabled the synthesis of diverse alkyl substituted 1,3-dicarbonyl products. Significantly, this protocol was successful using a single-column purification technique. © 2021 Wiley-VCH GmbH