How to Fix Common Crawl Errors That Hurt Your SEO

Crawl errors are pages on your site that search engines can't access or index properly. They waste your crawl budget, frustrate users, and can drag down your rankings. The good news? Most crawl errors are easy to fix once you know where to look.

What Are Crawl Errors?

When Googlebot or other search engine crawlers try to visit a page on your site, they might encounter a problem. Common issues include:

• 404 Not Found: The page doesn't exist.
• Soft 404: The page returns a 200 OK but has thin or irrelevant content (like an empty search results page).
• Redirect chains: A page redirects multiple times before reaching the final URL.
• Server errors (5xx): The server is overloaded or misconfigured.
• Blocked by robots.txt: The page is disallowed from crawling.
• DNS or connection failures: The site can't be reached.

Each of these errors can prevent your pages from being indexed and ranked.

How to Find Crawl Errors

The best place to start is Google Search Console. Under the Pages report (or the legacy Crawl Errors report), you'll see a list of URLs that Google couldn't crawl or index. Filter by error type and review the affected pages.

You can also use your site's server logs to see which URLs are being requested and what status codes are returned. Tools like Screaming Frog SEO Spider can simulate a crawl and highlight issues.

Step-by-Step Fixes for Common Crawl Errors

1. Fix 404 Errors

For each 404 URL, decide:

• Redirect it: If the page has moved permanently, set up a 301 redirect to the most relevant page.
• Restore it: If the page was accidentally deleted and still has value, restore it.
• Let it 404: If the page is genuinely gone and has no replacement, leave it. But make sure your custom 404 page is helpful (with a search bar and links to popular pages).

Pro tip: Avoid redirecting all 404s to your homepage. That confuses users and search engines. Use specific, relevant redirects.

2. Eliminate Soft 404s

Soft 404s often happen with empty category pages, filtered search results, or pages with very little content. To fix:

• Add unique, valuable content to thin pages.
• If a page truly has no content, return a 404 or 410 status code instead of 200.
• Use the noindex meta tag for pages that shouldn't be indexed (like internal search results).

3. Shorten Redirect Chains

A redirect chain happens when URL A redirects to B, which redirects to C. Each redirect adds latency and wastes crawl budget. Use a tool to identify chains and update links to point directly to the final URL.

4. Resolve Server Errors

If you see 5xx errors, check your server logs and hosting provider. Common causes include:

• Insufficient server resources during traffic spikes.
• Misconfigured .htaccess or Nginx rules.
• PHP memory limits or plugin conflicts (common in WordPress).

Work with your host or developer to stabilize the server.

5. Check Robots.txt and Meta Tags

Make sure you're not accidentally blocking important pages. In Google Search Console, use the robots.txt Tester to see if a URL is blocked. Also check for noindex meta tags that might be unintentionally applied.

6. Fix DNS and Connection Issues

If Google can't reach your site at all, it's a critical error. Verify your DNS settings, ensure your site is live, and check for firewall blocks. Use tools like dig or online DNS checkers.

Preventing Future Crawl Errors

• Monitor regularly: Check Google Search Console weekly for new errors.
• Use a proper URL structure: Avoid changing URLs unless necessary. When you do, set up 301 redirects.
• Maintain a sitemap: Submit an updated XML sitemap to Google Search Console.
• Test before launching: Before publishing a new section, crawl it with a tool to catch issues.

When to Get Help

If you have hundreds of crawl errors, it might be time to run a full site audit. Tools like [MyWebsiteScore] can help you identify not just crawl errors but also other SEO, speed, and usability issues.

Final Thoughts

Crawl errors are a normal part of running a website, but they shouldn't be ignored. By regularly monitoring and fixing them, you ensure search engines can find and index your best content. Start with Google Search Console, tackle the most critical errors first, and set up a routine to keep things clean.

Ready to check your site for crawl errors and more? Run a free audit to get a prioritized list of fixes.

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