If you’ve been managing your website for a while, you know how important it is to have Google crawl and index your pages. When Googlebot (Google’s search engine crawler) encounters problems while crawling your website, it can lead to crawl errors. These errors can affect your site’s visibility in search results, potentially hurting your traffic and rankings.
The good news is, fixing crawl errors in Google Search Console is relatively easy, and in this article, we’ll walk you through the steps to identify and resolve these issues, making sure your site is in tip-top shape for search engine success.
What Are Crawl Errors?
Before we dive into the fix, let’s quickly understand what crawl errors are. Crawl errors happen when Googlebot tries to access a page on your website but runs into issues. This could be because the page doesn’t exist, the server is down, or there’s a technical problem with the page.
When Googlebot encounters a crawl error, it won’t be able to index that page, meaning it won’t show up in search results. That’s a problem for SEO, as it prevents Google from knowing about and ranking your important content.
There are two main types of crawl errors to keep an eye on:
- Site Errors: These are errors that affect multiple pages or your entire website. For example, a server error or an issue with your domain.
- URL Errors: These are errors on specific pages. For example, a 404 error, which means the page can’t be found.
Now that you know what crawl errors are, let’s jump into how to fix them using Google Search Console.
Step-by-Step Guide to Fixing Crawl Errors in Google Search Console
Step 1: Sign Into Google Search Console
First, sign into your Google Search Console account. If you don’t have Search Console set up for your site yet, you’ll need to do that first. Google Search Console is free and provides valuable insights into how your site is performing in search results.
Once logged in, you’ll see your website’s dashboard. If your site has crawl errors, you’ll likely see a notification or a red warning at the top of the page.
Step 2: Go to the “Coverage” Report
In the left sidebar of Google Search Console, look for the “Coverage” report under the “Index” section. The Coverage report shows you which pages have been indexed and if there are any issues preventing Googlebot from crawling them.
Here, you’ll see a summary of your site’s status, including the number of pages that were successfully indexed, the number of pages with errors, and how many pages were excluded from indexing.
- Errors: This section shows pages that Googlebot couldn’t crawl due to issues.
- Valid with warnings: Pages that were crawled but had minor issues.
- Valid: Pages that were successfully crawled and indexed.
Click on the “Errors” tab to get a detailed list of pages with crawl issues.
Step 3: Identify the Crawl Errors
Once you’re in the Errors tab, you’ll see a list of the crawl issues that Googlebot encountered. Some common crawl errors include:
- 404 Errors (Not Found): The page doesn’t exist.
- 500 Errors (Server Errors): Your server is down or temporarily unavailable.
- 403 Errors (Forbidden): Googlebot is blocked from accessing the page due to permission issues.
- Redirect Errors: Issues with the page being redirected to another URL.
Each error type will have a description that explains the issue, along with a list of specific URLs that are affected. Click on the error type (e.g., 404 Not Found) to see the detailed list of URLs with that issue.
Step 4: Fix the Crawl Errors
Once you’ve identified the specific crawl errors, it’s time to start fixing them. Here’s how to tackle the most common errors:
- 404 Errors (Page Not Found): If a page is returning a 404 error, it means the page no longer exists or has been moved. You have two options here:
- Redirect the old URL to a relevant page on your site using a 301 redirect. This will pass on any SEO value from the old page to the new one.
- Remove the URL from your sitemap if the page is permanently gone and doesn’t need to be indexed anymore.
- 500 Errors (Server Errors): A 500 error indicates a problem with your server. This is typically a temporary issue, but it’s important to check your server’s health. You can do the following:
- Check with your hosting provider to ensure there are no server issues.
- Look at your server logs for more detailed error reports.
- 403 Errors (Forbidden): This error occurs when Googlebot is blocked from crawling a page. To fix this, ensure that Googlebot has the proper permissions to access the page:
- Check your robots.txt file to ensure that the page isn’t blocked.
- Look for any meta tags (e.g., noindex) or password protection that might be preventing Googlebot from accessing the page.
- Redirect Errors: Sometimes, you may have an incorrect or broken redirect chain. If a page redirects too many times or leads to a dead end, Googlebot can’t crawl it properly. To fix this:
- Use the Redirect Tester tool to identify broken redirects.
- Ensure your redirects are set up correctly, preferably using 301 redirects for permanent moves.
Step 5: Request Reindexing
Once you’ve made the necessary fixes, it’s time to let Google know. Return to the URL Inspection Tool in Google Search Console and enter the URL that was previously encountering errors. Once the page is fixed, click the “Request Indexing” button to notify Google to crawl and index the page again.
For major issues like 404 errors or server errors, Google will typically re-crawl the page after a few days. However, for quick fixes, requesting indexing helps speed up the process.
Step 6: Monitor the Fixes
After fixing the errors and requesting reindexing, check your Coverage report in Google Search Console to see if the issues have been resolved. It may take a few days for Google to crawl and index the fixed pages, so be patient. If you still see errors, go back and investigate further.
Prevent Future Crawl Errors
Now that you know how to fix crawl errors, here are a few tips to help prevent them in the future:
- Regularly check your Coverage report: Make it a habit to check your Google Search Console at least once a month to catch any potential errors early.
- Use redirects wisely: Avoid creating redirect chains, and always ensure your redirects are set up correctly.
- Maintain your server: Keep an eye on your website’s performance and fix any server issues that could cause 500 errors.
- Improve your robots.txt file: Make sure it’s not blocking important pages that you want Google to index.
Final Thoughts
Fixing crawl errors in Google Search Console doesn’t have to be a daunting task. By following these simple steps, you can quickly identify and fix issues that prevent Googlebot from crawling your pages, ensuring your site stays visible in search results. With regular maintenance and attention to detail, you’ll keep your site running smoothly and maintain a strong SEO presence.
