What are Google crawl errors, and how can we fix them?
Table of Contents
- What Are Google Crawl Errors?
- Why Crawl Errors Matter for SEO
- Types of Google Crawl Errors
- DNS Errors
- Server Errors (5xx)
- Robots.txt Errors
- 404 Not Found
- Soft 404
- Redirect Errors
- Access Denied (403)
What Are Google Crawl Errors?
Crawl errors are experienced when Googlebot (the web crawler of Google) attempts to visit your site but encounters problems. The problems with crawling prevent your pages from indexing in Google Search, hurting the visibility and traffic of your site.
Googlebot continuously crawls the web to discover new and updated pages. When it has trouble accessing a page, it logs it as a crawl error. Errors can be temporary or permanent, depending on their nature. Some errors are caused by technical issues, such as misconfigured servers, while others are caused by user behavior, such as removing a page without fixing internal links. Knowledge of crawl errors assists webmasters in optimizing site performance and search engine rankings.
Why Crawl Errors Matter for SEO If Google can’t crawl your site correctly:
- Your pages may not be indexed.
- Your rankings may drop.
- User experience could suffer due to broken links or missing pages.
- Google may lower your site’s authority or relevance.
Proper crawling and indexing are the foundation of SEO. Even if your content is high-quality, it won’t appear in search results unless Google can find and access it. Crawl errors, especially when left unresolved, can affect how Google perceives your site’s reliability. Over time, they may lead to the deindexing of your site’s key pages or entire sections. This is particularly harmful for businesses relying on organic traffic.
Types of Google Crawl Errors
How to Fix:
- Contact your hosting provider.
- Use DNS monitoring tools.
- Ensure proper DNS configuration.
- Server Errors (5xx) Cause: Your server returned a 500-level error (like 500, 502, 503) when Googlebot tried to access a page.
How to Fix:
- Check server logs for overloads or misconfigurations.
- Improve hosting performance or scale resources.
- Avoid long page load times and timeouts.
- Robots.txt Errors Cause: Your robots.txt file is missing, blocked, or malformed.
How to Fix:
- Make sure the file is accessible at yourdomain.com/robots.txt.
- Use GSC’s robots.txt tester to check for issues.
- Allow important sections of your site.
- 404 Not Found Cause: Googlebot tried to visit a page that doesn’t exist.
How to Fix:
- Set up 301 redirects for deleted or moved content.
- Fix internal links pointing to non-existent pages.
- Monitor and resolve reported 404s in GSC.
- Soft 404 Errors Cause: A page returns a 200 status but has no real content or shows a “page not found” message.
How to Fix:
- Add content to thin pages.
- Call a proper 404 or 410 status code if the page is irrelevant.
- Redirect Errors Cause: Issues with loops, too many redirects, or bad redirect configurations.
How to Fix:
- Keep redirects simple and direct.
- Avoid more than 3 chained redirects.
- Fix redirect loops using tools like Screaming Frog.
- Access Denied (403) Cause: Googlebot is blocked by server rules or firewalls.
How to Fix:
- Check .htaccess, server firewall, or security plugins.
- Make sure Googlebot is not explicitly denied.
- Whitelist Googlebot’s IP ranges if needed.
How to Detect Crawl Errors?
- Use these tools:
- Google Search Console (GSC): Go to “Pages” and look under “Why pages aren’t indexed.”
- Screaming Frog: Full website crawling and error reporting.
- Ahrefs/SEMrush: In-depth SEO and crawl diagnostics.
- URL Inspection Tool: Check individual URLs for issues.
How to Fix Crawl Errors?
- Prioritize errors based on severity and traffic impact.
- Use proper status codes (301, 404, etc.).
- Update internal links to valid URLs.
- Redirect old URLs to relevant new content.
- Optimize server uptime and response times.
- Unblock important resources (CSS, JS).
Best Practices to Avoid Future Errors
- Regularly monitor Google Search Console.
- Keep your CMS plugins and themes updated.
- Implement a custom 404 page with helpful navigation.
- Submit updated XML sitemaps.
- Avoid orphaned pages (pages with no internal links).
- Perform regular site audits.
Recommended Tools for Monitoring
| Tool | Purpose |
| Google Search Console | Detect and fix crawl errors |
| Screaming Frog | Full site crawl analysis |
| Ahrefs | SEO audit and broken link checks |
| SEMrush | Technical SEO reports |
| GTMetrix | Speed and server response diagnostics |
| DNS Checker | Check DNS health and propagation |
URL Inspection Tool
The URL Inspection Tool in Google Search Console is a diagnostic utility that allows webmasters to examine how Google views specific URLs on their site. It provides insights into a page’s index status and any crawling or indexing issues and allows for live testing of URLs. This tool is essential for identifying and resolving SEO-related problems, ensuring that web pages are properly indexed and appear in search results.
Conclusion
Crawl errors can severely impact your website’s visibility in search results. By understanding their types and how to fix them, you can ensure that your website remains healthy, indexable, and user-friendly. Use the right tools and best practices to monitor and prevent issues before they affect your rankings.
Staying ahead of crawl issues requires consistency and attention to detail. Make error resolution a routine part of your site maintenance, and leverage the power of monitoring tools. This way, you not only safeguard your SEO but also build a strong digital presence that performs well in the eyes of both users and search engines.
