If you want your website to rank well on Google, making sure search engines can properly crawl your pages is essential. Crawl errors in Google Search Console (GSC) are one of the key issues that can prevent your site from being indexed and ranked effectively.
What are Crawl Errors?
Crawl errors occur when Googlebot tries to access a page on your website but fails. These errors are grouped into two types:
Site-level errors: Affect your entire website. Examples include DNS issues, server errors, or robots.txt blocking Googlebot.
URL-level errors: Occur on specific pages like 404 Not Found or soft 404 errors.
Why Fix Crawl Errors?
Improve search engine indexing.
Ensure visitors don’t land on broken or missing pages.
Maintain user experience and site credibility.
Avoid ranking drops caused by inaccessible content.
How to Check Crawl Errors in Google Search Console
Log in to your Google Search Console account.
On the left sidebar, click on “Coverage” or in older versions, “Crawl Errors.”
Review the list of errors, warnings, and valid pages.
Click on specific errors for details and affected URLs.
Common Crawl Errors & How to Fix Them
1. 404 Not Found
Pages that don’t exist anymore or have broken links.
Fix: Redirect old URLs to relevant pages using 301 redirects or restore the deleted page if necessary.
2. Soft 404 Errors
Pages returning “not found” messages but sending a 200 OK status instead of a 404.
Fix: Correct the server response to send proper 404 or 410 status or improve page content.
3. Server Errors (5xx)
Server is unavailable or crashing.
Fix: Check server health, hosting issues, or contact your hosting provider.
4. Redirect Errors
Redirect loops or chains preventing Googlebot from reaching a page.
Fix: Simplify redirects, avoid loops and chains.
5. Blocked by robots.txt
Pages disallowed in your robots.txt file.
Fix: Remove blocking rules if those pages should be crawled.
Steps to Fix Crawl Errors
Identify the error type and affected URLs in GSC.
Investigate root cause (broken links, server issues, redirects).
Apply fixes (redirects, server config, content updates).
Use URL Inspection Tool in GSC to test the fix.
Mark the error as fixed in GSC for Google to re-crawl.
Preventing Future Crawl Errors
Regularly monitor Google Search Console.
Maintain a clean URL structure.
Avoid unnecessary redirects and broken links.
Keep robots.txt updated.
Use XML sitemap to guide crawlers.
Conclusion
Fixing crawl errors is a vital part of technical SEO that helps Google understand your site better and index it properly. Consistently monitoring and resolving these issues will keep your site healthy and improve your search rankings.