How to Fix Common Crawl Errors

Max Rose-Collins

Max Rose-Collins

— 4 min read

Crawl errors can severely impact your website's visibility and performance in search engine rankings. These errors occur when search engine bots encounter issues while trying to access your site's content. Understanding and fixing these errors is crucial for maintaining your website’s SEO health. In this guide, we'll explore common crawl errors, their causes, and actionable steps to resolve them.

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What Are Crawl Errors?

Crawl errors occur when a search engine bot, such as Googlebot, is unable to access a page on your website. These errors can prevent pages from being indexed, leading to reduced visibility in search engine results pages (SERPs).

Types of Crawl Errors

  1. DNS Errors: Issues with the Domain Name System (DNS) preventing bots from locating your website.
  2. Server Errors: Problems on the server-side, making content inaccessible.
  3. Robots.txt Errors: Issues with the robots.txt file blocking access to certain areas of the site.
  4. 404 Errors: Pages not found or broken links.
  5. Redirect Errors: Issues with redirections leading to confusing or dead-end links.

Tools to Identify Crawl Errors

Google Search Console

Google Search Console (GSC) is an essential tool for monitoring and identifying crawl errors. The "Coverage" report provides insights into various issues affecting indexing.

Bing Webmaster Tools

Similar to GSC, Bing Webmaster Tools helps identify crawl errors specific to Bing’s search engine.

Screaming Frog SEO Spider

Screaming Frog SEO Spider is a desktop program that crawls websites’ URLs and identifies SEO issues, including crawl errors.

How to Fix Common Crawl Errors

1. DNS Errors

Definition: DNS errors occur when bots cannot communicate with your DNS server, leading to issues in locating your site.

Solutions:

  • Check DNS Configuration: Ensure your DNS settings are correct.
  • Contact Hosting Provider: If you're unsure about DNS configurations, consult your hosting provider for assistance.
  • Use DNS Check Tools: Tools like DNS Checker can help verify DNS propagation.

2. Server Errors

Definition: Server errors (5xx errors) indicate that the server cannot complete the request. This includes overloads, crashes, or misconfigurations.

Solutions:

  • Check Server Logs: Review server logs to identify specific issues causing server errors.
  • Upgrade Hosting Plan: If server overloads are frequent, consider upgrading your hosting plan.
  • Optimize Server Performance: Implement caching mechanisms like Varnish Cache or a Content Delivery Network (CDN) like Cloudflare.

3. Robots.txt Errors

Definition: Issues in the robots.txt file, which instructs bots on which parts of the site to crawl, can restrict access to important pages.

Solutions:

  • Review Robots.txt File: Ensure the robots.txt file is correctly configured.
  • Use Google’s Robots.txt Tester: Accessible via Google Search Console, this tool allows you to test and correct your robots.txt file.

Example of allowing all:

User-agent: *
Disallow:

4. 404 Errors (Not Found)

Definition: 404 errors occur when a page cannot be found. This can result from deleted pages, moved content, or broken links.

Solutions:

  • Redirect Broken Links: Use 301 redirects to move users and bots from a broken link to a relevant, active page.
  • Check for Internal and External Links: Update all internal and external links to point to active pages.
  • Custom 404 Page: Create a helpful 404 page that guides users to other parts of your site.

Example for Apache server:

Redirect 301 /old-page https://www.example.com/new-page

5. Redirect Errors

Definition: Redirect errors involve issues with redirection chains, loops, or incorrect redirects, hindering the bot’s ability to crawl.

Solutions:

  • Minimize Redirect Chains: Ensure users and bots can access a page with no more than one redirection hop.
  • Fix Redirect Loops: Avoid creating infinite loops where a page redirects back to itself or another page that eventually loops back.
  • Use 301 Redirects: For permanent redirections, use 301 redirects to retain SEO value.

Example:

A -> B (correct)
A -> B -> C (incorrect)

Additional Tips for Maintaining Crawl Health

1. Regularly Audit Your Site

Conduct regular audits using tools like Screaming Frog or Google Search Console to identify and fix new issues promptly.

2. Monitor Crawl Budget

Ensure your most critical pages are getting crawled by optimizing your crawl budget. Use tools like Google's Crawl Stats Report to monitor crawl activity.

3. Optimize XML Sitemaps

Keep your XML sitemap up to date and ensure it only includes URLs that you want to be crawled and indexed.

4. Use Internal Linking Wisely

A strong internal linking structure helps bots navigate your site more effectively. Ensure your important pages are linked prominently.

5. Speed Up Your Site

Ensure your site loads quickly. Use tools like Google PageSpeed Insights to identify and fix performance issues.

Case Studies and Examples

1. Airbnb

Airbnb routinely audits its website to ensure no crawl errors and server issues. Their proactive approach in fixing broken links, optimizing server performance, and managing redirects has kept their user experience smooth and consistent.

2. The New York Times

The New York Times faced significant crawl errors due to their vast amount of archived content. By implementing regular audits, optimizing their robots.txt file, and managing their XML sitemaps, they drastically reduced crawl errors, leading to improved search visibility.

Tools and Resources

  • Google Search Console: Essential for monitoring and fixing crawl errors.
  • Bing Webmaster Tools: Similar functionalities to Google Search Console but for Bing.
  • Screaming Frog: Comprehensive SEO spider tool for auditing crawl health.
  • Ahrefs Site Audit: Another powerful tool for identifying technical SEO issues, including crawl errors.
  • Moz Crawl Test: Run diagnostics on your site to uncover and understand crawl issues.

Conclusion

Fixing crawl errors is a crucial aspect of maintaining a website's SEO health. Regularly monitor your site using tools like Google Search Console and Screaming Frog, and address issues promptly. By understanding the common types of crawl errors and implementing the solutions outlined in this guide, you can ensure your site remains accessible to search engines, thus improving your indexing and search visibility.

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