How to Fix Crawl Errors in Google Search Console
Crawl errors in Google Search Console (GSC) can prevent search engines from properly indexing your website, leading to lower rankings and reduced organic traffic. Identifying and fixing crawl errors is essential for technical SEO and ensuring that your content is fully accessible to Googlebot.
This guide will explain what crawl errors are, how to identify them in Google Search Console, and how to fix them for optimal website performance.
What Are Crawl Errors?
A crawl error occurs when Googlebot tries to access a webpage but encounters an issue, preventing successful indexing. Crawl errors fall into two main categories:
1. Site Errors (Affecting Entire Website)
DNS Errors – Googlebot can’t communicate with your website’s server.
Server Errors (5xx Errors) – The server is overloaded or unavailable.
Robots.txt Issues – Googlebot is blocked from crawling your site.
2. URL Errors (Affecting Specific Pages)
404 Errors (Not Found) – The requested page is missing or deleted.
Redirect Errors – Broken or incorrect redirects (e.g., infinite loops, chains).
Blocked URLs – URLs disallowed by robots.txt.
Soft 404s – Pages that return a 200 OK status but contain “Page Not Found” content.
Fixing crawl errors helps improve search rankings, indexing, and user experience.
How to Identify Crawl Errors in Google Search Console
Follow these steps to find crawl errors in Google Search Console (GSC):
1. Access the Crawl Error Reports
Select your website.
Navigate to Indexing → Pages.
Review errors under “Why pages aren’t indexed”.
2. Types of Crawl Errors You Might See
Not Found (404) – Googlebot can’t find the page.
Server Errors (5xx) – Server failed to respond.
Redirect Errors – Invalid or excessive redirects.
Blocked by robots.txt – Page restricted from crawling.
Duplicate Content Without Canonical – Confusion about the preferred version of a page.
Tip: Use the URL Inspection Tool in GSC to test if a page is properly indexed.
How to Fix Common Crawl Errors
1. Fix 404 Errors (Page Not Found)
Cause: Deleted or moved pages with no redirect.
How to Fix:
Redirect missing pages using a 301 redirect.
Reinstate deleted content if needed.
Update internal and external links pointing to 404 pages.
Remove broken URLs from sitemaps.
Example Redirect (in .htaccess file):
Tools to Find Broken Links:
Screaming Frog SEO Spider
Ahrefs Site Audit
Google Search Console → Indexing → Pages
2. Fix Server Errors (5xx Errors)
Cause: Server issues, high traffic load, or configuration problems.
How to Fix:
Check server logs for error messages.
Upgrade hosting plan if the server is frequently overloaded.
Reduce heavy scripts or use caching and CDNs.
Restart the server if necessary.
Test Server Response:
Use Google Search Console → Pages to find affected URLs.
Check site status with Google PageSpeed Insights.
3. Fix Redirect Errors
Cause: Broken, looping, or excessive redirect chains.
How to Fix:
Ensure redirects point to the final destination, not through multiple hops.
Replace 302 (temporary redirects) with 301 (permanent redirects) if the change is permanent.
Fix redirect loops in .htaccess, Nginx, or CMS settings.
Example of Proper 301 Redirect (in .htaccess):
Tools to Check Redirects:
Redirect Checker (HTTP Status Code Tool)
Screaming Frog (Redirect Chains Report)
4. Fix Blocked URLs in Robots.txt
Cause: Important pages are accidentally blocked by robots.txt.
How to Fix:
Open robots.txt (
https://example.com/robots.txt).Remove blocking rules for important pages.
Use Google Search Console Robots.txt Tester to verify.
Bad Example (Blocking Entire Site):
Good Example (Allowing Indexing):
5. Fix Soft 404 Errors
Cause: Pages return a 200 OK response but display a “Page Not Found” message.
How to Fix:
Configure the server to return a proper 404 status code.
Redirect users to relevant content with a 301 redirect.
Ensure pages with useful content aren’t mistakenly labeled as soft 404s.
Test with Google Search Console → URL Inspection Tool.
How to Prevent Future Crawl Errors
1. Regularly Monitor Google Search Console
Check Crawl Stats and Index Coverage Reports weekly.
Fix issues as they appear to avoid long-term damage.
2. Use a Clean URL Structure
Avoid deeply nested URLs.
Use SEO-friendly, human-readable URLs.
3. Keep XML Sitemaps Updated
Ensure your sitemap.xml only includes valid URLs.
Submit updates to Google Search Console → Sitemaps.
4. Optimize Internal Links
Remove broken or outdated links.
Link to related, valuable pages to help Google crawl efficiently.
Use Internal Link Checkers:
Ahrefs Site Audit
Google Search Console
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