Learn about the most common types of crawl errors, as well as their causes and solutions. Fix crawl errors to boost your search engine rankings and traffic. Now is the time to read our in-depth guide.
What are Crawl Errors?
Crawl errors happen when search engines have difficulty crawling and indexing a website or web page. Search engines scan websites and index their content using automated programs known as spiders or bots. When a spider attempts to access a web page but encounters an error, the page or any content on that page cannot be indexed.
Common Types of Crawl Errors
Crawl errors can come in a variety of forms, which search engines must deal with. Here are a few examples of the most common:
1. 404 Not Found
When a search engine attempts to access a page that does not exist or has been deleted, this error occurs. It means that the requested URL is not on the server.
2. 500 Internal Server Error
This error occurs when there is a problem with the server that prevents it from fulfilling the search engine’s request. It can be caused by a number of factors, including misconfiguration, programming errors, or server overload.
3. DNS Error
When the domain name system (DNS) fails to translate a domain name into an IP address, this error occurs. This means that the search engine is unable to locate the server that hosts the website.
4. Robots.txt Error
This error occurs when the website owner prevents search engines from crawling specific pages or sections of a website. This can be deliberate or unintentional.
Causes of Crawl Errors
Crawl errors can occur for a variety of reasons. The following are some of the most common causes:
1. Broken Links
When a link on a website leads to a page that no longer exists, the link is broken. When search engines attempt to follow these broken links, they are met with a 404 error.
2. Server Problems
Crawl errors can be caused by server issues, especially if the server is down or not responding. This can be caused by a number of factors, including misconfiguration, hardware failure, or high traffic.
3. Website Changes
The URLs of some pages may change if a website is redesigned or restructured. If search engines have already indexed the old URLs, crawling the new URLs may result in 404 errors.
4. Robots.txt File
Search engines may encounter crawl errors if the website owner has blocked search engines from crawling specific pages or sections of the website using the robots.txt file.
How to Fix Crawl Errors
Fixing crawl errors entails determining the source of the problems and taking appropriate action. Here are some steps to take to resolve crawl errors:
1. Use a Crawl Error Tool
To identify crawl errors on your website, use a crawl error tool such as Google Search Console. The tool will display the URLs that are returning errors, as well as the type of errors and the date the errors occurred.
2. Fix Broken Links
If crawl errors are caused by broken links, you should update or remove the broken links. To identify broken links on your website, use a broken link checker tool.
3. Check Server Status
If crawl errors are caused by server issues, you should investigate and resolve any issues. You can get help from your web hosting provider.
4. Update URLs
If crawl errors are caused by website changes, update the URLs of the affected pages and set up 301 redirects from the old to the new URLs. This ensures that the new pages are found and indexed by search engines.
5. Review Robots.txt File
If the robots.txt file is causing crawl errors, you should review the file to ensure that search engines are not being prevented from accessing important pages or sections of your website.
Conclusion
Crawl errors can have a negative impact on the search engine rankings and traffic to your website. Understanding the common types and causes of crawl errors can assist you in quickly identifying and correcting them. You can ensure that search engines properly crawl and index your website by regularly monitoring crawl errors and taking appropriate action.
FAQs
- What is the difference between a 404 error and a 410 error?
A 404 error indicates that a page or resource could not be found, whereas a 410 error indicates that the page or resource was intentionally removed and will not be returned. - How often should I check for crawl errors?
Crawl errors should be checked on a regular basis, preferably once a week or once a month, depending on the size and complexity of your website. - Can crawl errors affect my website’s ranking?
Yes, crawl errors can have an impact on your website’s ranking if search engines are unable to properly crawl and index your content. - How can I prevent crawl errors?
Crawl errors can be avoided by regularly checking for broken links, updating URLs when making website changes, and ensuring that your server is operational. - Do all crawl errors need to be fixed?
Although not all crawl errors must be fixed, it is recommended that you fix as many as possible to ensure that search engines can properly access and index your content.
As a London-based Technical SEO Strategist, I've worked with top firms like BT.com, EE.co.uk, Tripadvisor, Yopa, and various digital marketing and cloud computing companies. My extensive experience in SEO, including outreach, helps me create impactful strategies informed by the latest industry trends, ensuring innovative solutions for diverse industry needs.