How to Fix Crawl Errors and Improve Your Website’s Performance

Author: Lakshi Devi

As a website owner or digital marketer, you might have encountered a frustrating issue: crawl errors. These errors occur when search engines, such as Google, attempt to access your website and encounter issues that prevent them from properly crawling or indexing your pages. Fixing crawl errors is essential to ensure that your website remains visible in search results and functions smoothly for users.

In this blog, we’ll explore the types of crawl errors, how to identify them, and practical steps to fix crawl errors, which will help you maintain a healthy website and improve its overall performance.

What Are Crawl Errors?

Crawl errors happen when search engine bots, also known as crawlers, fail to reach a specific page on your website. These errors can prevent search engines from fully indexing your site, potentially leading to lower rankings or missing pages in search results.

There are two main types of crawl errors:

  1. Site errors: Affect the entire website and prevent crawlers from accessing it at all. These may include DNS errors, server errors, or issues with your robots.txt file.

  2. URL errors: Occur when crawlers can’t access specific pages on your site. Common examples include 404 Not Found errors, redirect issues, or blocked resources.

Regardless of the type of error, it’s crucial to fix crawl errors as soon as possible to avoid long-term negative effects on your site’s SEO and user experience.

Identifying Crawl Errors

Before you can fix crawl errors, you need to know where they are. Fortunately, several tools can help you detect and diagnose these issues:

  • Google Search Console: One of the most valuable tools for webmasters, Google Search Console provides detailed reports about crawl errors. Navigate to the "Coverage" section to view all the errors that Google has encountered while crawling your website. The report will categorize errors by type and provide specific URLs where issues exist.

  • Screaming Frog: This SEO tool allows you to crawl your site just as search engines do. Screaming Frog can help you identify broken links, server issues, and other common problems.

  • Bing Webmaster Tools: Similar to Google Search Console, Bing’s webmaster tool offers insight into crawl issues from Bing’s perspective.

Once you have identified the errors, you can take the necessary steps to fix crawl errors and restore your site’s accessibility.

Common Crawl Errors and How to Fix Them1. 404 Not Found Error

This is one of the most frequent URL errors. A 404 error occurs when a page is missing or has been moved without updating the corresponding link. It can also happen if a user mistypes a URL.

How to fix it:

  • Redirect to a relevant page: Set up a 301 redirect from the missing page to another relevant page on your website.

  • Fix broken links: Use tools like Google Search Console or Screaming Frog to identify and correct internal and external links that lead to non-existent pages.

2. Server Errors (5xx)

Server errors prevent search engines from accessing your site entirely, often due to overloaded servers or misconfigurations.

How to fix it:

  • Check server logs: Your server’s error logs will provide clues about what went wrong and where.

  • Optimize server performance: If your site is frequently down due to high traffic, consider upgrading your hosting plan or implementing caching mechanisms.

  • Contact your hosting provider: For more complex issues, reaching out to your hosting provider might be necessary to resolve server misconfigurations.

3. DNS Errors

A DNS (Domain Name System) error occurs when the search engine cannot connect to your website’s server. This could be due to an issue with your domain settings or server.

How to fix it:

  • Verify DNS configuration: Ensure that your domain is correctly pointed to the right hosting provider and that your DNS settings are accurate.

  • Check domain status: Make sure your domain hasn’t expired, which would cause DNS errors.

  • Wait for propagation: DNS changes can take time to propagate across the internet, so if you’ve made recent updates, allow up to 48 hours.

4. Robots.txt Errors

Your robots.txt file tells search engines which pages of your site they can or cannot crawl. An incorrect configuration could block important parts of your site from being indexed.

How to fix it:

  • Review robots.txt: Check the content of your robots.txt file to ensure that you aren’t inadvertently blocking critical pages.

  • Test in Google Search Console: Use the robots.txt tester in Google Search Console to see how search engines interpret your file and adjust as needed.

5. Redirect Errors

Improper redirects can confuse both users and crawlers. For example, redirect chains (where one URL redirects to another, which then redirects to another) or redirect loops (where URLs continually redirect to each other) can prevent crawlers from reaching your content.

How to fix it:

  • Implement proper redirects: Use 301 redirects for permanent URL changes and ensure that each redirect leads directly to the intended page.

  • Avoid redirect chains and loops: Check your redirects to make sure they are simple and direct, without causing unnecessary detours.

Best Practices to Prevent Crawl Errors

Fixing crawl errors is important, but preventing them from happening in the first place can save you a lot of time and hassle. Here are some best practices to follow:

  • Regularly audit your site: Use tools like Google Search Console and Screaming Frog to periodically check your site for crawl issues.

  • Keep your sitemap up to date: Ensure that your XML sitemap is current and submitted to search engines.

  • Monitor server performance: Slow or unresponsive servers can cause crawl errors. Make sure your server is optimized and scalable.