If your website isn’t showing up in Google search results the way it should, you may be dealing with crawl errors or poor indexation. These problems can quietly damage your SEO performance—and for businesses in competitive markets, that translates directly to lost opportunities. Whether you're running a small startup or managing digital strategy for a large company, understanding how to fix crawl errors & improve site indexation is a must. If these technical SEO headaches sound familiar, it might be time to schedule a deep dive through an SEO Audits & Website Analysis UAE.
Let’s walk through what crawl errors really are, why indexing matters so much for your visibility, and—most importantly—how to resolve the issues holding your site back. Don’t worry, you don’t need to be a tech wizard to follow along.
What Are Crawl Errors?
In simple terms, crawl errors occur when a search engine, usually Google, tries to visit a page on your website but fails. Search engines use bots—called crawlers—to scan your site and gather content to rank. When the bots can’t access or understand certain pages, that’s known as a crawl error. Here’s what that could mean for you:
- Key pages not appearing in search results
- Wasted crawl budget (Google gives your site only X amount of crawling per session)
- Decreased domain authority and relevance
A site that’s hard to crawl is essentially invisible.
Types of Crawl Errors You Need to Watch For
Google Search Console is your best friend here—it reports crawl errors under the “Pages” and “Indexing” sections. The most common ones include:
404 Not Found
This happens when a page has been deleted or moved but not redirected, and there's still a link pointing to it. It’s one of the most common crawl errors.
Server Errors (5xx)
Your server failed to respond when Googlebot tried to crawl. It could be a timeout issue, configuration error, or server overload.
Robots.txt Blocks
Sometimes, your robots.txt file accidentally tells search engines not to crawl sections of your site. This is meant for sensitive areas, not public pages.
Redirect Errors
Too many redirects, redirect loops, or broken chains can all result in crawl failures and poor indexing.
How to Fix Crawl Errors
Now that you know what the issues are, let’s talk about solving them. Here are the steps you should take:
1. Regularly Monitor Google Search Console
- Visit the “Pages” tab under Indexing
- Review all URLs marked “Not Indexed”
- Check the reasons provided—Google tells you what’s wrong!
2. Fix or Redirect Broken URLs
- Use 301 redirects for pages you’ve moved permanently
- Update internal links that point to removed pages
- Delete or correct outdated sitemap entries
3. Clean Up Your Robots.txt File
Make sure you're not accidentally blocking search engines from important directories. Tools like Screaming Frog or SEMrush can identify these issues easily.
4. Improve Server Health
- Upgrade hosting if your site crashes under traffic
- Tune your CMS and database for better performance
- Use uptime monitoring to catch server errors early
5. Submit Clean Sitemaps
Your XML sitemap should include only canonical (preferred) and live URLs. Avoid non-indexable pages like login screens or duplicate content.
6. Ensure Mobile-Friendliness
Google crawls mobile-first. A site that isn’t optimized for mobile may cause rendering issues for the bot, leading to crawl delays or skipping.
How to Improve Site Indexation
Once crawl errors are under control, it’s time to push more of your high-value pages into Google’s index. Here's how to go from crawlable to rankable:
1. Internal Linking Matters
Pages with strong internal links are more likely to be crawled and indexed. Use keyword-rich anchor text and link deep into your content, not just the homepage.
2. Create and Maintain a Strategic Content Structure
- Use a hub-and-spoke model with pillar and cluster pages
- Keep your site hierarchy clean and intuitive: Homepage → Category → Subcategory → Detail Pages
- Tag and categorize blog content properly
3. Fetch as Google (Now URL Inspection Tool)
Use the URL inspection tool in GSC to request indexing manually for new or updated pages. This helps prioritize them in the crawl queue.
4. Avoid Duplicate Content
- Use canonical tags where duplicates can’t be avoided
- Set preferred versions (www vs non-www, HTTP vs HTTPS)
- Audit your content regularly to consolidate similar pages
5. Update Old Content
Keep older posts fresh by updating stats, titles, and dates. Google treats updated pages as potentially more relevant and may choose to re-index them sooner.
Quick Tools to Help You Out
If you're not sure where to begin, these tools can help streamline your crawl error-fixing process:
- Google Search Console: Spot and fix crawl errors
- Screaming Frog: Perform deep crawls and SEO audits
- Ahrefs/Site Audit: Identify indexing issues and fix priorities
- Yoast/RankMath: For controlling indexation in WordPress easily
Keep Your Site Google-Ready
Fixing crawl errors and improving site indexation isn’t a one-time task—it’s an ongoing process. As your website evolves, so do the potential roadblocks that can impact your performance on search engines. The more crawlable and indexable your site is, the stronger your foundation for ranking organically.
Whether you're a seasoned pro or just getting started, staying proactive pays off. If you're building serious growth strategies, now’s the perfect time to prioritize technical SEO. Start with an in-depth SEO Audits & Website Analysis UAE to uncover the hidden issues keeping you from competing in the top spots. Let Google access your best content—and reap the benefits.
