How to Detect and Fix Crawl Errors Before They Hurt Rankings
If your website isn’t showing up on Google — or certain pages have mysteriously disappeared from search — the problem could be a crawl error.
Crawl errors stop Googlebot (the automated system that scans websites) from accessing and indexing your pages properly. And when search engines can’t “see” your content, your rankings drop — no matter how good your SEO is.
At EC Business Solutions, we specialise in identifying and fixing these hidden technical problems before they affect visibility or traffic. Here’s how to stay one step ahead.
1. What Crawl Errors Are — and Why They Matter
Every time Google visits your site, it follows links, analyses pages, and adds them to its index. This process is known as crawling.
A crawl error occurs when Googlebot tries to access a page but can’t complete the request.
This can happen because the page is missing, the server is slow, or certain files are blocked.
When crawl errors accumulate, Google begins to assume your website is unreliable — reducing crawl frequency and trust in your content. That means fewer pages indexed and fewer opportunities to rank.
2. The Most Common Crawl Errors
Understanding the main types of crawl errors helps you detect and fix them quickly.
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404 Errors (Page Not Found)
These occur when a page is deleted, renamed, or moved without a redirect. Users and bots hit a dead end — which sends negative trust signals to Google.
Fix:
Set up 301 redirects from the old URL to the new or most relevant page. Avoid redirect chains (one redirect leading to another).
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Server Errors (5xx Codes)
Server errors happen when your hosting can’t respond to Googlebot’s request. They often result from overloaded servers or misconfigurations.
Fix:
- Check server logs and hosting capacity.
- Ensure uptime monitoring is enabled.
- Contact your host if the issue persists.
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Redirect Errors
If you have multiple redirects pointing to one another, or incorrect redirect loops, Googlebot can get stuck.
Fix:
Use tools like Screaming Frog SEO Spider to identify and clean up redirect loops. Always redirect directly from old URL → new URL.
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DNS Errors
DNS (Domain Name System) issues occur when Google can’t connect to your website’s domain.
Fix:
Check your DNS settings and hosting provider. Tools like Pingdom or GTmetrix can confirm connectivity.
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Blocked Resources
Sometimes, CSS, JavaScript, or image files are accidentally blocked by your robots.txt file. This prevents Google from rendering the page correctly.
Fix:
Review your robots.txt file and ensure essential resources are accessible.
3. How to Detect Crawl Errors
There are several reliable tools to help you monitor and fix crawl issues before they damage your SEO.
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Google Search Console
The best starting point.
Go to Index → Pages → Crawl Status to view:
- URLs Google can’t access.
- Reasons for each error (e.g., not found, blocked, server issue).
- Date Google last attempted a crawl.
You can also click Validate Fix once an issue has been resolved to speed up reindexing.
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Screaming Frog SEO Spider
A powerful desktop crawler that simulates Googlebot’s view of your site. It flags broken links, redirects, missing metadata, and orphan pages.
Use it regularly to audit large websites and export crawl data for your team.
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Ahrefs Site Audit / SEMrush
Premium SEO tools like Ahrefs and SEMrush provide crawl reports with extra detail, including internal linking gaps, slow-loading pages, and mobile usability warnings.
4. How to Fix Crawl Errors Efficiently
Here’s how to tackle crawl issues step by step:
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1. Prioritise High-Value Pages
Fix crawl errors on pages that drive conversions or key traffic first (home, products, services).
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2. Use 301 Redirects Correctly
Redirect deleted or moved URLs to active equivalents. Avoid using 302 (temporary) redirects for permanent changes.
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3. Submit Updated Sitemaps
Once fixes are made, resubmit your XML sitemap through Google Search Console. This helps Google discover your corrected pages faster.
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4. Optimise Internal Linking
Make sure every important page is linked from somewhere on your site.
Crawl bots follow internal links — so a clear structure means faster indexing.
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5. Review Robots.txt and Noindex Tags
Ensure your robots.txt file doesn’t accidentally block key folders. Also, check that noindex tags aren’t applied to live pages.
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6. Improve Site Speed and Hosting
A sluggish site can lead to timeouts and failed crawls.
Optimise images, enable caching, and consider a CDN or upgraded hosting.
5. Preventing Future Crawl Issues
Once your crawl health is clean, prevention becomes part of your long-term SEO strategy.
✅ Monitor crawl status monthly via Search Console.
✅ Audit your website after every redesign or migration.
✅ Regularly update sitemaps and remove outdated URLs.
✅ Keep hosting reliable with minimal downtime.
✅ Use analytics tools to track 404s or drop-offs in traffic.
This proactive approach ensures consistent indexing, stable rankings, and better visibility across all pages.
6. Why Crawl Health Directly Impacts Rankings
Google allocates a crawl budget — the number of pages it’s willing to scan during each visit.
If your site wastes that budget on broken links or redirect loops, fewer valuable pages get indexed.
By maintaining a clean, efficient crawl structure, you:
- Improve how quickly new content is discovered.
- Strengthen overall site trust.
- Support consistent ranking improvements.
It’s a technical detail that delivers major long-term returns.
7. Let EC Business Solutions Keep Your Site Healthy
Crawl issues can be invisible until they start costing traffic — which is why regular technical SEO maintenance is essential.
At EC Business Solutions, our experts monitor, audit, and repair crawl-related issues before they affect your visibility.
We combine hands-on diagnostics with structured data, smart redirects, and performance tracking to ensure your site is always accessible to Google — and to customers.
👉 Keep your site technically strong with Professional SEO Services from EC Business Solutions — your trusted partner in sustainable, data-driven growth.
