Google Search Console (GSC) is an essential tool for website administrators and SEO experts alike. It offers insights into your site’s performance, indexing, and visibility on Google Search. One of the most important features of GSC is its ability to report crawl errors, which occur when Google’s search bots (called Googlebot) fail to access a page on your website. These errors can directly affect how your website is indexed and, ultimately, its rankings in search engine results.
In this comprehensive guide, we’ll delve deep into how you can identify and fix crawl errors using Google Search Console. We’ll cover common types of crawl errors, their impact, and provide actionable steps to resolve them effectively.
What are Crawl Errors?
Crawl errors occur when Googlebot, which is responsible for crawling and indexing web pages, encounters issues accessing your website or specific URLs on it. Crawling is the process where search engines like Google follow links and “crawl” the web to discover new content or updates. If Googlebot can’t reach a page, it may fail to index it, potentially leaving valuable content out of Google’s search index.
Crawl errors are generally categorized into two major types:
- Site Errors: Problems that affect your entire website, making it difficult or impossible for Googlebot to access any of your site’s content.
- URL Errors: Issues with specific pages that prevent Googlebot from crawling or indexing individual URLs.
By addressing these issues promptly, you ensure that Google can properly crawl and index your content, which helps maintain or improve your website’s visibility in search results.
Types of Crawl Errors in Google Search Console
Google Search Console categorizes crawl errors into two main categories:
Site Errors
Site errors represent problems affecting the entire site rather than specific URLs. The most common site errors include:
- DNS Errors: Googlebot couldn’t communicate with the domain’s DNS server.
- Server Errors: Googlebot couldn’t access your website, possibly due to server overload or misconfiguration.
- Robots.txt Fetch Errors: Googlebot was unable to retrieve your
robots.txtfile, preventing it from crawling your site or certain pages.
URL Errors
URL errors are specific to individual pages on your website and can affect how they are indexed. The most common URL errors include:
- 404 Not Found Errors: The URL doesn’t exist or has been moved without proper redirection.
- Soft 404 Errors: Pages that display a “Not Found” message without sending a 404 HTTP response code.
- Redirect Errors: Improper redirects that send users or crawlers to the wrong or a broken page.
- Access Denied Errors: The page is restricted from Googlebot, typically due to permissions issues or robots.txt settings.
How to Identify Crawl Errors in Google Search Console
Google Search Console makes it easy to identify crawl errors through its Coverage Report and URL Inspection Tool. Follow these steps to access and interpret crawl errors.
Accessing the Coverage Report
- Log into Google Search Console.
- From the dashboard, click on the Coverage tab located under the Index section.
- Here, you’ll see a detailed breakdown of any errors or issues affecting your website’s pages.
The Coverage Report shows the following categories:
- Error: Pages that couldn’t be indexed due to critical issues.
- Valid with Warnings: Pages that are indexed but with potential problems.
- Valid: Pages that are successfully indexed without any issues.
- Excluded: Pages that are intentionally excluded from being indexed, such as those blocked by
robots.txt.
Errors Tab Breakdown
In the Error section, you’ll see detailed information about the types of errors Googlebot encountered. Some examples of errors include:
- Submitted URL blocked by robots.txt.
- Submitted URL marked ‘noindex’.
- Server Error (5xx).
- 404 Errors.
By clicking on any of these error types, you’ll get more details, including the exact URLs affected. You can also use the URL Inspection Tool to get a more detailed view of the specific issues affecting each URL.
Common Crawl Errors and How to Fix Them
1. DNS Errors
A DNS error occurs when Googlebot is unable to communicate with your website’s DNS server. This can happen due to temporary server outages or incorrect DNS configurations.
How to Fix:
- Verify your DNS settings with your hosting provider.
- Use tools like Google’s Public DNS or other third-party services (e.g., Pingdom, DNSStuff) to check for issues.
- If the problem is intermittent, monitor DNS uptime and contact your hosting provider for a more permanent fix.
2. Server Errors (5xx)
Server errors occur when your server fails to respond to Googlebot’s requests. These are commonly due to:
- Server overload
- Improper configuration
- Hosting issues
How to Fix:
- Check your server logs for overload or configuration issues.
- If your server is under heavy load, consider upgrading your hosting plan or server capacity.
- Ensure your server has the necessary resources to handle peak traffic, especially if your site experiences traffic spikes.
3. Robots.txt Fetch Failure
Googlebot uses your robots.txt file to understand which parts of your site it can or cannot crawl. If Googlebot is unable to access this file, it may not crawl important sections of your site.
How to Fix:
- Check your
robots.txtfile for correct syntax using the robots.txt Tester in Google Search Console. - Ensure the file is properly uploaded to the root directory (e.g.,
example.com/robots.txt). - Verify that your server can serve the file without any issues, and make sure it’s not blocked by your firewall or server settings.
4. 404 Not Found Errors
These errors occur when a page no longer exists on your site, but external or internal links point to it. A high number of 404 errors can negatively impact user experience and crawling efficiency.
How to Fix:
- If the page is permanently gone, implement a 301 redirect to a relevant, related page.
- If the page is temporarily unavailable, consider using a 302 redirect instead.
- Regularly audit your internal and external links to minimize broken links that lead to 404 errors.
5. Soft 404 Errors
Soft 404 errors occur when a page looks like a 404 error to users (e.g., it shows “Not Found”) but doesn’t return a proper 404 HTTP status code. Instead, it might return a 200 OK status, confusing Googlebot.
How to Fix:
- Ensure that pages which don’t exist return a proper 404 or 410 HTTP response code.
- Create custom 404 pages that guide users back to relevant content while returning the correct error code.
- Use the URL Inspection Tool to check the HTTP status code of any page.
6. Redirect Errors
Redirect errors can occur due to incorrect or overly complex redirect chains (e.g., redirecting through too many URLs), circular redirects, or broken redirects.
How to Fix:
- Simplify your redirects to a direct, single-step 301 or 302 redirect.
- Avoid long chains or circular redirects, as these can confuse both users and crawlers.
- Test your redirects using Google’s URL Inspection Tool to ensure they are functioning properly.
7. Security Issues
If Google detects malware, phishing, or other security threats on your website, it may block crawlers from indexing the affected pages. This not only impacts your site’s visibility but also diminishes trust among users.
How to Fix:
- Regularly scan your website for malware using tools like Google’s Safe Browsing tool or third-party security software.
- Remove any malicious content immediately and ensure your website’s software is up to date.
- Request a review through Google Search Console once you’ve cleaned up any security issues.
Best Practices to Prevent Crawl Errors
Prevention is better than cure when it comes to crawl errors. Here are some best practices to help you avoid crawl errors altogether:
- Regularly Monitor GSC: Frequently check Google Search Console for any new crawl errors and resolve them promptly.
- Optimize Website Speed and Uptime: Ensure your server is properly configured, scalable, and able to handle traffic spikes to prevent server errors.
- Keep Your Sitemap Updated: Regularly update your XML sitemap with accurate URLs and submit it to GSC to help Googlebot discover new or updated pages.
- Use Consistent URL Structures: Avoid unnecessary changes in URL structures, which can lead to broken links and 404 errors.
- Set Up Custom 404 Pages: A user-friendly 404 page can help retain users even when they land on a missing page.
6. Advanced Troubleshooting for Crawl Errors
Analyzing Server Logs
Server logs provide invaluable information about how Googlebot interacts with your website. By analyzing these logs, you can spot patterns in crawl errors and better understand where and why Googlebot might be encountering issues.
How to Analyze Server Logs:
- Access your server logs through your hosting provider or server dashboard (e.g., cPanel, Plesk).
- Filter for Googlebot’s user-agent to see which URLs it’s attempting to crawl and what responses it’s receiving.
- Look for any 500-series errors (indicating server issues), 404 errors, or other unusual response codes.
- Identify any crawling patterns, such as whether Googlebot is being blocked by security plugins or configurations (e.g., firewalls, IP restrictions).
By understanding these logs, you can diagnose server-side issues, address bandwidth or resource allocation problems, and ensure a smoother crawling experience.
Using Third-Party Tools for Additional Insights
In addition to Google Search Console, there are several third-party tools you can use to supplement your troubleshooting process. Some popular tools include:
- Screaming Frog: A powerful website crawler that mimics how search engine bots crawl your site. It can help identify 404s, broken links, redirect chains, and more.
- Ahrefs and SEMrush: These SEO platforms provide crawl reports, identifying both technical and content-related issues.
- DeepCrawl: This tool gives detailed insights into how well your site is being crawled, highlighting issues like missing meta tags, broken links, and crawl depth problems.
- GTmetrix: Helps analyze your site’s performance and can uncover loading speed issues, which may contribute to server errors during crawling.
These tools offer a deeper understanding of your site’s technical health and often complement the data provided by Google Search Console.
How Crawl Errors Affect SEO and Rankings
Crawl errors can have a significant impact on your website’s search engine optimization (SEO) and rankings. Here’s how these errors can affect your site:
Indexing Problems
When Googlebot encounters site-wide errors like DNS failures or server errors, it may not be able to access or index your pages. If a large portion of your site is inaccessible, it can reduce the number of pages that appear in search results, directly affecting your site’s visibility.
Reduced Crawl Budget
Google allocates a crawl budget to every site, which refers to the number of pages it will crawl within a certain period. If Googlebot is wasting its budget crawling pages that return errors (e.g., 404s or redirects), fewer important pages may be crawled. Fixing errors ensures that your valuable content is prioritized during crawling.
Negative User Experience
Pages that return 404 or soft 404 errors not only frustrate users but also hurt your SEO. A bad user experience can lead to higher bounce rates and lower dwell times, which are signals that may indirectly impact rankings.
Lost Link Equity
If important pages return 404 or redirect errors, the link equity (or “link juice”) from inbound links pointing to those pages is lost. This can diminish the authority of your website and hurt your rankings. Properly redirecting or fixing broken pages helps preserve this link equity.
Impact on Mobile SEO
Mobile-first indexing means Google primarily uses the mobile version of your site for ranking and indexing. If crawl errors are prevalent on your mobile site (e.g., slow load times, blocked resources), it could negatively affect your rankings on mobile searches.
Conclusion
Crawl errors in Google Search Console are an inevitable part of maintaining any website, but addressing them promptly and effectively is crucial for maintaining good SEO health. By using the tools available in GSC, analyzing server logs, and employing third-party tools, you can identify and fix these errors before they have a significant impact on your rankings and user experience.
Here’s a quick recap of the steps you should take to manage crawl errors effectively:
- Regularly monitor Google Search Console for crawl errors and resolve them quickly.
- Understand the different types of crawl errors (site-wide vs. URL-specific) and how to fix them.
- Use tools like the Coverage Report and URL Inspection Tool to get detailed insights into crawl issues.
- Optimize server performance and website architecture to avoid future errors.
- Stay proactive by following best practices such as keeping your sitemap updated, monitoring redirects, and auditing internal links.
By following these best practices and staying on top of crawl errors, you can ensure that your website remains accessible, well-indexed, and highly visible on Google search, helping you reach your target audience effectively.
Advanced Pro Tips:
- Automate site audits using tools like Screaming Frog or Ahrefs to catch crawl errors early.
- Schedule periodic checks on your server performance and DNS to preempt any outages or configuration errors.
- Develop a habit of checking Search Console at least once a week, particularly if you manage a large website with frequent content updates.
By taking a proactive and thorough approach to crawl error management, your website will maintain a healthy relationship with Google’s crawlers, helping you improve rankings and drive more organic traffic.
Appendix: Common HTTP Status Codes and What They Mean for Crawling
- 200 OK: Everything is working correctly, and the page is available for crawling.
- 301 Moved Permanently: The page has been permanently moved to a new URL, and search engines should follow this redirect.
- 302 Found: A temporary redirect; use sparingly in favor of 301 redirects when content has permanently moved.
- 403 Forbidden: The server understands the request but is refusing to fulfill it, possibly due to permissions issues.
- 404 Not Found: The page no longer exists, and no redirects are in place.
- 500 Internal Server Error: The server encountered an unexpected condition that prevented it from fulfilling the request.
- 503 Service Unavailable: The server is temporarily unable to handle the request, often due to maintenance or server overload.
By fixing crawl errors, optimizing your crawl budget, and improving overall site architecture, your website can maintain strong SEO performance and a better user experience, ensuring long-term growth and visibility in Google search.
