How to Fix Crawl Errors in Google Search Console: A Step-by-Step Guide

Why Crawl Errors in Google Search Console Should Be a Top Priority

If Google cannot crawl your pages, those pages will never appear in search results. It is that simple. Crawl errors are one of the most common and most damaging technical SEO problems, yet many website owners either ignore them or have no idea where to start fixing them.

In this guide, we will walk you through exactly how to fix crawl errors in Google Search Console, covering every error type you are likely to encounter. Whether you are dealing with 404 pages, server timeouts, redirect loops, or the frustrating “Submitted URL has crawl issue” status, you will find a clear, actionable solution below.

This is not theory. Every fix listed here is something you can implement today.

What Are Crawl Errors and Why Do They Matter?

Crawl errors occur when Googlebot attempts to access a URL on your website and fails. When this happens, Google cannot index the content on that page, which means it will not show up in search results.

Crawl errors can hurt your website in several ways:

• Lost organic traffic because pages are not indexed
• Wasted crawl budget as Googlebot spends time on broken URLs instead of important pages
• Poor user experience when visitors land on error pages
• Weakened internal linking as link equity flows into dead ends

The good news is that Google Search Console gives you all the data you need to find and fix these errors.

Step 1: Find Your Crawl Errors in Google Search Console

Before you can fix anything, you need to know exactly what is broken. Here is how to locate crawl errors in Google Search Console (GSC):

1. Log in to Google Search Console.
2. Select the property (website) you want to inspect.
3. In the left sidebar, click on “Pages” (formerly called “Coverage” or “Index Coverage”).
4. Look at the “Why pages aren’t indexed” section. This lists every reason Google could not index your URLs.
5. For deeper crawl data, navigate to Settings > Crawl Stats. This report shows host status details, crawl requests over time, and specific response codes.

Pay close attention to the following statuses and error types, as they are the most common crawl issues:

Error Type	What It Means	Common Cause
Not found (404)	The URL does not exist on your server	Deleted page, changed URL slug, typo in link
Soft 404	The page loads but appears empty or irrelevant to Google	Thin content, search result pages, empty category pages
Server error (5xx)	Your server failed to respond	Server overload, misconfigured hosting, plugin conflicts
Redirect error	A redirect chain is too long or loops back on itself	Multiple redirects stacked, circular redirects
Blocked by robots.txt	Your robots.txt file prevents Googlebot from accessing the URL	Overly restrictive robots.txt rules
Submitted URL has crawl issue	A URL in your sitemap cannot be crawled	Broken sitemap entries, server errors on specific pages
DNS errors	Google could not resolve your domain name	DNS misconfiguration, expired domain, hosting downtime

Step 2: Fix 404 (Not Found) Errors

404 errors are by far the most common crawl issue. They happen when a URL that Google knows about no longer exists on your server.

How to Diagnose

1. In the Pages report, click on “Not found (404)” to see the full list of affected URLs.
2. Click on any individual URL and then click “Inspect URL” to confirm the error.
3. Check whether the page was intentionally deleted, accidentally removed, or if the URL slug was changed.

How to Fix

• If the page was moved to a new URL: Set up a 301 redirect from the old URL to the new one. This preserves link equity and sends users to the right place.
• If the page was deleted and there is a relevant alternative: 301 redirect the old URL to the most closely related existing page.
• If the page was deleted and there is no relevant replacement: Let the 404 stand. Google will eventually drop it from its index. Optionally, return a 410 (Gone) status code to tell Google the page is permanently removed, which speeds up de-indexing.
• If the page should still exist: Restore it. Check your CMS, database backups, or version control to bring the content back.
• Fix internal links: Search your site for any internal links pointing to the 404 URL and update them. Tools like Screaming Frog or Sitebulb can help you find these quickly.

Pro tip: Remove 404 URLs from your XML sitemap. Your sitemap should only contain URLs that return a 200 (OK) status code.

Step 3: Fix Soft 404 Errors

A soft 404 is when a page returns a 200 status code (meaning the server says everything is fine) but Google determines the page has little or no useful content. Google treats these pages as if they were 404 errors.

Common Causes

• Empty category or tag pages with no posts
• Search result pages that return zero results
• Product pages where the product is out of stock and no information is shown
• Pages with very thin or duplicate content

How to Fix

• Add meaningful content to the page so it provides genuine value to visitors.
• If the page has no purpose, return a proper 404 or 410 status code instead of a 200.
• For out-of-stock product pages, keep the product information visible and add a note about availability, or redirect to a related product.
• For empty archive pages, either add content or use a noindex tag to keep them out of Google’s index.

Step 4: Fix Server Errors (5xx)

Server errors mean your web server failed to fulfill Googlebot’s request. These are serious because they signal to Google that your site may be unreliable.

How to Diagnose

1. Check the Crawl Stats report in GSC (Settings > Crawl Stats) to see when server errors spiked.
2. Cross-reference with your server access logs to identify the exact error codes (500, 502, 503, etc.).
3. Test the affected URLs yourself using the URL Inspection tool in GSC or a tool like curl -I [URL] in your terminal.

How to Fix

• 500 Internal Server Error: Check your server error logs. Common culprits include broken .htaccess rules, PHP errors, exhausted memory limits, or faulty plugin/theme code.
• 502 Bad Gateway: This usually points to a problem with your reverse proxy (e.g., Nginx in front of Apache) or your hosting provider’s infrastructure. Contact your host if this persists.
• 503 Service Unavailable: Your server is temporarily overloaded or under maintenance. Make sure maintenance mode is not accidentally left on. If traffic spikes cause this, consider upgrading your hosting plan or implementing caching.
• Review your hosting resources: Check CPU usage, RAM, and database query performance. Googlebot can generate significant load, especially on large sites.
• Adjust crawl rate (last resort): In GSC under Settings > Crawl Stats > Crawl Rate, you can see Google’s crawl behavior. While Google usually manages this automatically, you can reach out via their documentation if Googlebot is overwhelming your server.

Step 5: Fix Redirect Errors

Redirect errors occur when Googlebot follows a redirect and encounters a problem. The two most common redirect issues are redirect chains and redirect loops.

Types of Redirect Errors

Issue	Description	Example
Redirect chain	URL A redirects to URL B, which redirects to URL C (or more)	/old-page → /newer-page → /newest-page
Redirect loop	URL A redirects to URL B, which redirects back to URL A	/page-a → /page-b → /page-a
Redirect to 404	A redirect points to a URL that no longer exists	/old-page → /deleted-page (404)

How to Fix

• Redirect chains: Update the first redirect so it points directly to the final destination URL. Every redirect in a chain wastes crawl budget and dilutes link equity.
• Redirect loops: Identify which redirect rule is sending traffic back to the original URL. Check your .htaccess file, server configuration, CMS redirect plugins, and CDN-level redirect rules. Remove or correct the conflicting rule.
• Redirect to 404: Update the redirect to point to a live, relevant page instead.

Important: Always implement a proper URL redirect strategy from the start. When you change a URL, create a single 301 redirect from old to new. Document all redirects in a spreadsheet or use a redirect management plugin to avoid conflicts over time.

Step 6: Fix “Blocked by robots.txt” Issues

If Google reports that a URL is blocked by robots.txt, it means your robots.txt file contains a rule preventing Googlebot from accessing that page.

How to Fix

1. Navigate to yourdomain.com/robots.txt and review the Disallow rules.
2. In GSC, use the URL Inspection tool to test whether a specific URL is blocked.
3. If a page should be crawlable, remove or adjust the Disallow rule in your robots.txt file.
4. If you intentionally want to block the page from being crawled, that is fine. But make sure you are not accidentally blocking important pages like your homepage, category pages, or key landing pages.

Common mistake: During development, many sites add Disallow: / to block all crawling. If this is not removed before launch, your entire site becomes invisible to Google.

Step 7: Fix “Submitted URL Has Crawl Issue”

This error appears when a URL listed in your XML sitemap cannot be crawled by Google. It is essentially Google telling you: “You told me this page exists, but I cannot access it.”

How to Fix

• Inspect the URL using the URL Inspection tool in GSC. Check the exact error returned.
• If the page returns a server error, fix the server issue (see Step 4 above).
• If the page no longer exists, remove it from your XML sitemap.
• If the page is blocked by robots.txt, either unblock it or remove it from the sitemap.
• Regenerate and resubmit your sitemap after making corrections.

Step 8: Fix DNS Errors

DNS errors happen when Google’s crawler cannot resolve your domain name. This is typically a hosting or domain registrar issue, not a website content issue.

How to Fix

• Verify that your domain registration has not expired.
• Check that your DNS records (A record, CNAME, etc.) are correctly configured and pointing to the right server.
• Contact your hosting provider or domain registrar if you see persistent DNS resolution failures.
• Use tools like DNS Checker to verify that your domain resolves correctly from multiple locations around the world.

Step 9: Optimize Your XML Sitemap to Prevent Future Crawl Errors

Your XML sitemap is essentially a roadmap for Google. A clean, accurate sitemap helps prevent many crawl errors from occurring in the first place.

Best Practices for Your Sitemap

• Only include URLs that return a 200 status code. Never include 404 pages, redirected URLs, or noindexed pages.
• Keep your sitemap updated automatically. Most CMS platforms (WordPress, Shopify, etc.) have plugins or built-in features that auto-generate sitemaps. Use them.
• Submit your sitemap in GSC under Sitemaps. Check back regularly for warnings or errors.
• For large sites, use sitemap index files and break your URLs into logical groups (posts, pages, products, etc.).

Step 10: Monitor, Validate, and Maintain

Fixing crawl errors is not a one-time task. New errors can appear whenever you publish content, change URL structures, update plugins, or migrate servers.

Ongoing Monitoring Checklist

1. Check the Pages report in GSC weekly. Look for any new spikes in errors.
2. Review the Crawl Stats report monthly. Monitor response times and error rates.
3. Validate fixes in GSC. After fixing an error, click the “Validate Fix” button in the Pages report. Google will re-crawl the affected URLs and confirm whether the issue is resolved.
4. Run periodic site crawls with tools like Screaming Frog, Sitebulb, or Ahrefs Site Audit to catch issues before Google does.
5. Check your server logs. Tools like GoAccess, AWStats, or log analysis through your CDN (Cloudflare, CloudFront) can reveal crawl errors that GSC may not surface immediately.

Quick Reference: Crawl Error Fixes at a Glance

Error	Quick Fix	Time to Fix
404 Not Found	301 redirect to relevant page or restore content	5-15 minutes per URL
Soft 404	Add content, return proper 404, or noindex	10-30 minutes per page
Server Error (5xx)	Check server logs, fix code or hosting issues	30 minutes to several hours
Redirect Error	Simplify redirect chains, break loops	10-20 minutes per URL
Blocked by robots.txt	Edit robots.txt to allow crawling	5 minutes
Submitted URL has crawl issue	Fix the underlying error, clean up sitemap	15-30 minutes
DNS Error	Verify domain and DNS configuration	15 minutes to several hours

How to Prevent Crawl Errors From Happening Again

Prevention is always better than cure. Here are the habits that keep your site clean:

• Improve internal linking. Make sure important pages are linked from other indexed pages on your site. Strong internal linking helps Googlebot discover and re-crawl your content efficiently.
• Implement a URL redirect strategy before making changes. Anytime you change a URL, set up the redirect before or at the same time as the change.
• Audit your site regularly. Schedule monthly crawl audits. Catching errors early means less damage to your rankings.
• Keep your CMS, plugins, and server software updated. Many server errors are caused by outdated or conflicting software.
• Use staging environments for testing. Never push untested changes directly to your live site.
• Set up email alerts in GSC. Google Search Console sends notifications for critical issues. Make sure your email notifications are enabled.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does it take for Google to re-crawl a fixed page?

After you fix a crawl error and click “Validate Fix” in Google Search Console, Google typically re-crawls the affected URLs within a few days to a couple of weeks. You can speed this up by using the URL Inspection tool and clicking “Request Indexing” for individual URLs.

Are 404 errors always bad for SEO?

Not necessarily. If a page was intentionally deleted and has no replacement, a 404 is the correct response. Google has stated that 404 errors on pages that should not exist do not harm your site’s overall ranking. The problem arises when important pages return 404 errors, or when you have a large number of 404s caused by broken internal links.

What is the difference between a 404 and a 410 status code?

A 404 means “not found” and suggests the page might come back. A 410 means “gone” and tells Google the page has been permanently removed. Using a 410 can help Google de-index the URL faster.

Can crawl errors affect my entire site’s ranking?

A handful of 404 errors will not tank your rankings. However, widespread server errors (5xx) or a significant number of crawl issues can signal to Google that your site is unreliable, which may affect how aggressively it crawls and ranks your other pages.

Should I fix crawl errors for pages that get no traffic?

If the pages are not important and were intentionally removed, you can safely ignore those errors. Focus your effort on fixing errors for pages that should be indexed, pages that have backlinks, or pages listed in your sitemap.

How do I check if Googlebot can access my page?

Use the URL Inspection tool in Google Search Console. Enter the URL, and Google will show you exactly how it sees the page, including any crawl errors, rendering issues, or indexing problems.

Final Thoughts

Crawl errors are inevitable on any active website. Pages get deleted, URLs change, servers have bad days. What matters is how quickly you identify and fix these issues before they impact your search visibility.

By following the step-by-step process outlined above and building a habit of regular monitoring, you can keep your site healthy, fully crawlable, and performing at its best in Google Search.

Need help diagnosing and fixing technical SEO issues on your website? Get in touch with the team at Innova8ive and let us handle the technical details so you can focus on growing your business.