In the ever-evolving world of SEO, ensuring that search engines like Google can effectively crawl and index your website is critical for your online visibility. If Google can’t access your web pages, they won’t show up in search results and you’ll miss out on valuable organic traffic. That’s where Google Search Console (GSC) comes into play. Crawl errors are one of the most common issues faced by website owners and Google Search Console is the perfect tool to detect and fix these errors.
In this article, we will discuss what crawl errors are, how to identify them using Google Search Console and, most importantly, how to fix them to ensure your site is fully optimized for search engines.
What Are Crawl Errors?
Crawl errors occur when Googlebot (Google's web crawler) attempts to crawl a page on your site but encounters problems accessing it. These errors can prevent your site from being fully indexed by Google, impacting its performance in search results.
There are two main types of crawl errors:
1. Site Errors: These are errors that prevent Google from accessing your entire website.
2. URL Errors: These errors occur on specific pages and impact the visibility of individual URLs.
Each type of crawl error can negatively affect your SEO performance, so identifying and fixing them promptly is crucial.
Using Google Search Console to Identify Crawl Errors
Google Search Console is a free tool provided by Google that allows you to monitor your site’s presence in search results. One of its most valuable features is the ability to detect crawl errors. Here's how you can use GSC to find these errors:
1. Sign in to Google Search Console
First, log into your Google Search Console account. If you haven’t added your site yet, you’ll need to do so by following Google's verification process.
2. Access the Coverage Report
After logging in, go to the Coverage section on the left-hand menu. The Coverage report provides a summary of the pages Google has crawled, including those with errors, warnings, or valid pages. This is where you’ll find detailed information about crawl errors.
3. Review the Error Status
In the Coverage report, you’ll see four categories of status: Error, Valid with warnings, Valid and Excluded. Focus on the "Error" and "Excluded" sections, as these highlight URLs where crawl issues have been detected.
4. Check Specific Errors
By clicking on each error category, you can see the exact URLs affected and the types of crawl errors associated with each. Common crawl errors you may encounter include:
- 404 Not Found: The page does not exist.
- Server Errors (5xx): Googlebot couldn’t access the page due to server issues.
- Redirect Errors: There’s an issue with the URL redirection.
- Access Denied (403): Googlebot was blocked from accessing the page.
- Soft 404 Errors: The page returns a "200 OK" status code but displays a 404-like error.
How to Fix Crawl Errors Using Google Search Console
Once you’ve identified the crawl errors on your site, the next step is to resolve them. Depending on the type of crawl error, you’ll need to take specific actions. Let’s break it down based on the most common errors:
1. Fixing 404 Not Found Errors
A 404 error means Googlebot tried to crawl a page but couldn’t find it. This typically happens when a page has been deleted, the URL has changed, or there's a typo in the internal link pointing to that page.
How to Fix:
Redirect the Broken URL: If the page has been moved or replaced, implement a 301 redirect from the broken URL to the new one. This tells Google that the page has permanently moved, preserving the SEO value.
Restore the Page: If the page was deleted by mistake or still holds value, restore it by recreating the original content or updating the URL structure.
Update Internal Links: Ensure that any internal links pointing to the 404 error page are updated to link to the correct page.
Once the issue is fixed, you can use the "Validate Fix" option in Google Search Console to let Google know that the error has been resolved.
2. Fixing Server Errors (5xx)
Server errors occur when your web server cannot respond to Googlebot’s request to crawl your site. This might be due to server overload, temporary downtime, or other server-related issues.
How to Fix:
Check Server Logs: Investigate your server logs to identify what caused the error. Look for server crashes, resource limitations, or high traffic that may have overwhelmed the server.
Increase Server Resources: If the server is under strain, consider upgrading your hosting plan or optimizing server resources to handle more traffic.
Fix Server Configuration: Sometimes, a misconfigured server can cause 5xx errors. Work with your hosting provider or developer to resolve any misconfiguration.
Once you’ve addressed the server issues, use the "Validate Fix" button to notify Google.
3. Fixing Redirect Errors
Redirect errors occur when Googlebot encounters a problem following a URL redirection. This could be due to redirect loops, incorrect redirects, or chains of multiple redirects.
How to Fix:
Avoid Redirect Loops: Ensure that the URL doesn’t redirect back to itself or form a loop with other URLs.
Limit Redirect Chains: Try to avoid multiple redirects in a chain. If possible, use a single redirect to take users directly to the intended page.
Use 301 Redirects: When moving pages permanently, always use a 301 redirect, which passes SEO value from the old URL to the new one.
After correcting the redirects, submit the URL for validation in Google Search Console.
4. Fixing Access Denied (403) Errors
A 403 error indicates that Googlebot was denied access to a page due to permission settings. This can happen when certain pages are intentionally blocked (e.g., login pages) or mistakenly restricted.
How to Fix:
Check Robots.txt File: Ensure that the page isn’t being blocked unintentionally by your robots.txt file. You can check this in the Robots.txt Tester tool in GSC.
Adjust Permissions: If the page should be accessible to Googlebot, check the page's permissions and adjust them to allow crawling.
Block Intentionally Restricted Pages: For pages like login or admin panels that you don’t want indexed, ensure they are properly blocked using robots.txt or noindex tags.
5. Fixing Soft 404 Errors
A soft 404 occurs when a page returns a "200 OK" status but contains no content or displays a 404-like message (e.g., "Page not found"). Google treats these as errors because the page is essentially empty.
How to Fix:
Provide Relevant Content: If the page is valid but was mistaken for a soft 404, ensure it has meaningful content for users and search engines.
Implement a Proper 404 Page: If the page should not exist, make sure it returns a proper 404 status code to inform Google and users that the page is unavailable.
Monitoring and Preventing Future Crawl Errors
After fixing the current errors, it’s important to regularly monitor your site in Google Search Console to prevent future issues. Some best practices include:
Regularly Check Coverage Reports: Make it a habit to review the Coverage report to catch errors early.
Use URL Inspection Tool: If you’ve fixed a specific page, use the URL Inspection Tool to ensure that Google can now crawl and index the page.
Maintain a Healthy Sitemap: Keep your XML sitemap up to date with valid URLs that you want Google to crawl and index.
Conclusion
Crawl errors can hinder your website's performance in search results, but with Google Search Console, identifying and fixing these issues becomes manageable. By regularly monitoring your site, addressing 404 errors, server issues, redirect problems and other crawl errors promptly, you can ensure that Googlebot accesses and indexes your site efficiently. This will not only improve your site’s visibility but also enhance user experience and overall SEO performance.
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