How to Find and Fix Crawl Errors (2026)

Google sends bots to your website constantly. When those bots hit a dead end, they stop. That dead end is called a crawl error, and every crawl error is a page Google could not read, could not index, and will not rank.

According to Google Search Central, any obstacle in Googlebot’s path creates a direct gap in your search visibility.

Why Crawl Errors Kill Your Rankings

Most business owners assume if their site loads fine in a browser, Google can see it too. That assumption is wrong more often than you would think.

Googlebot follows rules, respects file configurations, and gives up quickly when it hits obstacles. The result? Pages that should rank, do not. Traffic that should be coming in, never arrives.

The good news: most crawl errors are fixable in under an hour. If you would rather have an expert handle it, our technical SEO services include a full crawl audit from start to finish.

The Most Common Types of Crawl Errors

404 Not Found

Google followed a link to a page that no longer exists. It wastes crawl budget and kills any authority that page once had.

The fix: Set up a 301 redirect to the most relevant live page. Ahrefs has a solid guide on redirect best practices if you need one.

Server Errors (5xx)

Your server failed to respond when Googlebot visited. If this happens repeatedly, Google crawls your site less often and new content gets indexed slower.

The fix: Contact your hosting provider. If the issue is deeper than hosting, our web development team can diagnose it properly.

Blocked by robots.txt

Your robots.txt file is accidentally blocking pages you actually want indexed. Your site loads fine for visitors, but Google silently walks away.

The fix: Check yourdomain.com/robots.txt and use the Google Search Console robots.txt tester to verify nothing important is blocked.

Redirect Chains and Loops

One redirect points to another, which points to another. Google eventually stops following them and link authority drains away.

The fix: Every old URL should redirect directly to its final destination in one clean step. No chains, no loops.

How to Find and Fix Crawl Errors

Google Search Console is free and shows you exactly where Googlebot is struggling. Open the Pages report under Indexing and look for 404s, 5xx errors, and blocked pages.

For a full site breakdown, Screaming Frog will map every error type faster and with more detail.

Once you have the list, work through it in this order: fix 404s with redirects, clean up robots.txt, resolve redirect chains, then contact your host about any server errors. Use the URL Inspection tool in Search Console to request re-indexing after each fix.

Finding crawl errors is one thing. Making sure they stay fixed is another. Talk to the Extems team and we will handle the technical side so you can focus on running your business.

FAQ Section

How long does it take to fix crawl errors?

Most crawl errors can be resolved in a few hours once identified. Finding all of them across a larger site is where a technical SEO audit saves real time.

Will fixing crawl errors improve my rankings?

Often yes. If Google has been unable to index key pages, fixing those errors can lead to noticeable improvements within a few weeks.

Do I need a developer to fix crawl errors?

Not always. 404s, robots.txt issues, and redirect chains can usually be handled without touching code. Server and DNS errors are the exception.

How do crawl errors affect my local SEO?

Crawl errors on service or location pages directly hurt your local SEO performance. If Google cannot index those pages, they will not appear in local results.