Types of Crawl Errors, Their Importance, and Solutions

1. Introduction: Why Crawl Errors Matter in SEO

Imagine Google’s search engine as an explorer, constantly crawling the web to discover new pages and update existing ones. This process—known as crawling—is the first step in getting your website indexed and ranked.

But here’s the catch: if Googlebot encounters crawl errors, it can’t properly access your site, meaning some pages may never make it into search results. When pages remain unindexed, they lose ranking potential, directly affecting your site’s visibility, organic traffic, and conversions.

Think of crawl errors as roadblocks that prevent search engines from reading your content. Whether it’s server issues, broken links, or misconfigured settings, these errors must be identified and fixed to ensure smooth navigation for search engines—ultimately keeping your SEO strong and competitive.

Understanding Crawl Errors: Types & Fixes

2. Classification of Crawl Errors

Crawl errors are barriers that prevent search engines from properly accessing and indexing your website. Google typically classifies these errors into two main types:

• Site Errors – These affect the entire website, preventing Googlebot from crawling it.

• URL Errors – These impact specific pages, limiting visibility for certain content.

Let’s break down each type in detail.

3. Site Errors

Site errors are critical because they block Googlebot from crawling your entire website. These issues need urgent attention to prevent ranking losses.

3.1 DNS Errors

What it is: Googlebot is unable to communicate with your DNS server, making your site inaccessible.

Why it matters: If Googlebot can’t reach your site, your pages won’t be indexed, significantly hurting your search visibility.

How to fix it:

✅ Contact your hosting provider or DNS service to check for outages.

✅ Use tools like dig or nslookup to analyze DNS settings.

✅ Ensure your domain is active and properly configured to avoid accessibility issues.

3.2 Server Errors (5xx Errors)

What it is: The server fails to respond correctly—common errors include 500 Internal Server Error or 503 Service Unavailable.

Why it matters: Frequent 5xx errors can lead Google to crawl your site less frequently or even remove pages from its index.

How to fix it:

✅ Analyze server logs to identify recurring issues.

✅ Ensure sufficient server resources (CPU, RAM) to handle requests efficiently.

✅ Fix misconfigurations in .htaccess, PHP scripts, or plugins that may be causing failures.

✅ Set up uptime monitoring tools to detect and resolve server crashes quickly.

3.3 Robots.txt Fetch Failure

What it is: Googlebot is unable to access or read your robots.txt file.

Why it matters: If Google can’t read the file, it may pause crawling to prevent accessing restricted content, slowing down indexing.

How to fix it:

✅ Ensure your robots.txt file is located at https://yourdomain.com/robots.txt.

✅ Check file permissions and server settings to confirm visibility.

✅ Use Google’s Robots.txt Tester tool to verify accessibility.

4. URL Errors

URL errors affect individual pages, meaning certain content won’t be indexed properly. You can monitor these issues under the "Coverage" section in Google Search Console.

4.1 404 Not Found

What it is: The requested page no longer exists or was never created.

Why it matters: A high number of 404 errors signals poor maintenance, discouraging users and reducing trust in your website.

How to fix it:

✅ Redirect broken pages to relevant content using 301 redirects.

✅ Recreate the page if it holds valuable content.

✅ Identify and remove internal links pointing to non-existent pages.

4.2 Soft 404

What it is: A page returns a 200 (success) code but lacks meaningful content, misleading Google into treating it as a broken page.

Why it matters: Soft 404s waste crawl budget, limiting indexing efficiency.

How to fix it:

✅ Add valuable content to thin pages to make them useful.

✅ Return a proper 404 or 410 status when a page is truly gone.

✅ Avoid "No results found" pages—offer helpful alternatives instead.

4.3 Access Denied (403/401 Errors)

What it is: Googlebot is blocked due to restricted permissions.

Why it matters: When search engines can’t access a page, it won’t be indexed, potentially hurting rankings.

How to fix it:

✅ Adjust authentication settings or firewall rules to allow Googlebot.

✅ Whitelist Google’s IPs if necessary.

✅ Avoid login barriers on public content meant to be indexed.

4.4 Redirect Errors

What it is: Misconfigured redirects cause chains, loops, or lead to dead pages.

Why it matters: Redirect issues waste crawl budget and reduce page authority, affecting rankings.

How to fix it:

✅ Keep redirect chains short—avoid more than 3 steps.

✅ Resolve looping redirects with correct 301/302 settings.

✅ Use tools like Screaming Frog or Ahrefs to audit redirect paths.

4.5 Blocked by Robots.txt

What it is: Your robots.txt file blocks Googlebot from crawling certain pages.

Why it matters: If important pages are restricted, they won’t appear in search results.

How to fix it:

✅ Review robots.txt rules and remove unnecessary restrictions on valuable content.

✅ If you want a page excluded from indexing but still crawlable, use noindex meta tags instead.

5. How to Monitor and Fix Crawl Errors

Crawl errors can hinder your site’s visibility, so regular monitoring is key to ensuring smooth indexing. Here’s how to stay on top of them:

Using Google Search Console (GSC)

Google Search Console is your go-to tool for spotting and fixing crawl errors efficiently. Here’s what you should check:

✅ Indexing > Pages – Find URLs that aren’t being indexed and understand why.

✅ URL Inspection Tool – Get a detailed report on specific page errors.

✅ Coverage Report – Monitor crawl issues frequently to catch new problems early.

Using Third-Party Tools

While GSC is powerful, third-party SEO tools offer deeper insights into crawl errors:

✅ Screaming Frog – Helps audit your entire site, spotting broken links, faulty redirects, and orphan pages.

✅ Ahrefs / SEMrush – Provides crawl error reports and insights on how issues impact SEO.

✅ Server Logs – Track Googlebot’s visits to pages with errors, revealing patterns and problems.

6. Best Practices to Prevent Crawl Errors

A proactive approach reduces errors before they affect rankings. Follow these best practices to keep your site crawl-friendly:

✅ Maintain a clean internal link structure to help Googlebot navigate efficiently.

✅ Submit an XML sitemap to Google Search Console to guide indexing.

✅ Minimize redirects—avoid unnecessary chains that slow down crawling.

✅ Regularly check for broken links to prevent dead-end pages.

✅ Optimize server performance to ensure fast load times and uptime stability.

✅ Use canonical tags correctly to prevent duplicate content issues.

7. Conclusion: Crawl Errors & SEO Success

As your website grows, crawl errors are inevitable—but ignoring them is a major SEO mistake. Google requires smooth crawling to rank and index your pages effectively. By leveraging tools like Google Search Console and third-party SEO software, you can identify, resolve, and prevent errors before they impact your rankings.

Remember, fixing crawl errors isn’t just a technical task—it’s a fundamental SEO practice. A well-maintained website signals quality, trustworthiness, and reliability to search engines, keeping your visibility strong and ensuring long-term search success.

Frequently Asked Questions: Types of Crawl Errors

Q1. Are crawl errors bad for SEO?

Absolutely! Crawl errors can prevent search engines from accessing and indexing your pages, which directly impacts your website’s visibility. If critical pages remain inaccessible, it can lower rankings and reduce organic traffic. Regular monitoring and timely fixes are essential for maintaining a healthy SEO performance.

Q2. Can Google still index a page with crawl errors?

Not always. If a page is temporarily unreachable, Google might retry indexing later. However, if the error is caused by broken links, misconfigured settings, or blocked content, Google could ignore the page entirely. Ensuring that your site structure and URLs are error-free helps Google crawl and index your pages efficiently.

Q3. How often should I check for crawl errors?

It depends on how frequently your site is updated. For active, content-rich websites, a weekly check ensures potential errors are caught early. For smaller sites with fewer changes, a monthly review should be sufficient. If your site undergoes major updates or migrations, real-time monitoring is recommended.

Q4. What’s the difference between a 404 and a Soft 404?

A 404 error occurs when a page is missing or deleted, returning a “Not Found” response. A Soft 404, however, mistakenly returns a 200 (success) code, even though the page lacks meaningful content. This confusion can mislead search engines, reducing your site’s credibility. Properly configuring error pages ensures better user experience and search engine indexing.

Q5. Do I need a developer to fix crawl errors?

It depends on the type of error. Complex technical issues like server failures, faulty redirects, or robot.txt misconfigurations may require a developer’s expertise. However, content-related problems—such as broken links, duplicate pages, or missing metadata—can often be fixed by SEOs or content managers using site audit tools.