Crawl errors are like a wrench in the wheels of your website's performance and search engine rankings. Such failures happen when search engines like Google cannot access the content of your site; this means that some of your pages won't make it to search results. So in this blog, let's break down How to Fix Crawl Errors for Improved Website Rankings by the SEO professionals at Inter Smart, the best SEO services in Dubai. 

What Are Crawl Errors?

Crawl errors refer to those moments when search engines just cannot crawl your pages, likely because of various reasons internal links might be broken to server issues occurring in the back. Among these possibilities could be the inability of the search engine to discover your content altogether, thus realizing extreme drops in visibility and ranking. Simply put, if search engines don't crawl your website, they won't index it, and if they don't index it, they won't reach your audience.  

Common Types of Crawl Errors

DNS Errors

Errors with DNS are when the search engines are unable to find out the site's IP address; this is like ringing the wrong number and wasting your time on the phone. This will block the search engine from finding your site.

So, this error would read like "server not found" after typing in a website URL.

Some of the Frequently found causes

DNS timeout: The DNS server could not give a timely reply.

DNS lookup error: Unable to find the domain name.

Solution: Check your DNS settings and configure them correctly.

1. Server Errors

These errors are raised when the web server does not respond to overviewing search engine requests—simply put; knocking on the door without any answer. These errors can significantly affect the indexing by the search engines.

Example: A 500 Internal Server Error for visiting a page.

Common types:

• 500 Internal Server Error: General server issue.

• 502 Bad Gateway: Invalid response from an upstream server.

• 503 Service Unavailable: The server is temporarily down.

• 504 Gateway Timeout: The server not responding in time.

Solution: Make sure to monitor your server performance on a regular basis and take the necessary steps to address them as soon as possible.

1. Robots.txt Errors

A problem with your robots.txt file, which helps the search engines on which pages to crawl. It's akin to providing incorrect directions, causing important areas to be missed.

Example: A disallow rule in your robots.txt file blocking search engines from accessing your site.

Solution: Review and update your robots.txt file to ensure it correctly instructs search engines, allowing access to essential pages.

1. URL Errors

One of the most common errors. The search engines encounter difficulties accessing specific pages on your site.

• 404 Errors: This happens when a page can't be found, often due to incorrect URLs or deleted pages without proper redirection.

Example: A user clicks on a link and sees a "404 Page Not Found" message.

Solution: Include 301 redirects for moved or deleted pages to guide both users and search engines to the correct location. 

• Soft 404 Errors: When a page returns a 200 OK status but displays content suggesting a 404 error ( can be due to thin or duplicate content).

Solution: You must rework the page content.

• 403 Forbidden Errors: The access to a page is denied due to server permission settings.

Example: A user trying to access a restricted page and get a "403 Forbidden" message.

Solution: You can adjust server permissions to make certain that intended pages are accessible to search engines. 

How to Find Crawl Errors?

Spotting crawl errors is a piece of cake with the right tools. Here are some go-to methods suggested by Our SEO Services experts. 

• Google Search Console: This free tool from Google is the ultimate key. Check the "coverage" area to see whether Google indicates any errors. Errors like 404 errors, server problems, etc.

• Use Screaming Frog/ Semrush/Ahrefs to crawl your site for crawling errors; report back with hints on 404 errors or other redirection issues.

• Log files: They can reveal the behavior of search engines towards your site. You can check for repeated errors/issues that may be restricting the crawling.

Other Tools to Identify Crawl Errors

Other handy tools exist to help check on the health of your site. Below are some of them, suggested by our SEO experts.

• Rush Analytics Crawl Error Checker: Notice crawl errors easily with this tool so that you can fix the problems before they damage your site's SEO.

• Nestify's Guide on Crawl Errors: Nestify gives away several tips regarding common crawl errors and their fix so that you maintain your website being accessible for search engines. 

How to Fix Crawl Errors?

Now the real part. Once you've spotted crawl errors, it's time to roll up your sleeves and fix them. Here's how you can do that !!

Step 1: Always Prioritize Site-Wide Errors

• DNS Errors:  This means search engines can't find your site.

Action: Double-check your DNS settings to make sure your domain is set up correctly. If problems continue, reach out to your DNS provider for assistance.

• Server Errors (5xx): These indicate your server isn't responding properly, blocking access to your site.

Action: Keep an eye on your server's performance. If needed, beef up your server resources and tackle any server-side issues without delay.

• Robots.txt Errors: If search engines can't read your robots.txt file, they might miss important parts of your site.

Action: Make sure your robots.txt file is correctly set up and easy to access. You can use Google Search Console to test and verify the file.

Step 2: Address URL-Specific Errors Based on Impact

• 404 Errors: A page can't be found on the internet.

• High-Traffic Pages: Set up 301 redirects from these pages to relevant content to keep both users and search engines happy.

• Less Critical Pages: Not all 404 errors need immediate attention. You can leave pages that are no longer relevant as is.

Action: Update internal links and make certain that high-value pages are redirected correctly.

• Soft 404 errors happen whenever pages look like 404 errors but fail to actually generate the correct status code.

Action: Work on the thin pages themselves, up their content, or make sure non-existent pages return a true 404 status. Fix any other culprit causing the soft 404s related to JavaScript.

• 403 forbidden errors mean that you can't access a page or that access is denied.

Action: You can make adjustments in your server permissions and your robots.txt file where it's appropriate so that access can be allowed.

• Redirect loops: Results in poor user experiences and confusion for engines.

Action: Review your redirects to make certain that they point to the correct URLs without causing loops.

Monitoring Crawlability

Keeping your website in tip-top shape requires ongoing vigilance. Here's how to stay on top of things:

• Alerts: Activate notifications in applications such as Google Search Console to receive real-time updates on crawling issues.

• Regular check-ups: Analyze your site for their problems every month or every fourth month using tools such as Semrush/Screaming Frog so that you can spot them early on.

• Internal Linking Structure: It is good practice to frequently check your internal links and refresh them so that they are now pointed in the right direction.

• Page Speed Optimization:  Fast-loading pages are known to give the best experience to users and make it easier and faster for search engines to crawl the site. So work on that using the proper tools.