--- title: "Crawl Errors" description: "Problems that search engine crawlers encounter when attempting to access and process pages on a website — including HTTP errors (404, 500), redirect issues, and DNS failures — which prevent pages from being properly indexed." url: "https://skribra.com/glossary/crawl-errors" type: "glossary-term" category: "Analytics & Measurement" updated: "2026-06-09" --- # Crawl Errors **Definition.** Problems that search engine crawlers encounter when attempting to access and process pages on a website — including HTTP errors (404, 500), redirect issues, and DNS failures — which prevent pages from being properly indexed. **In short.** Crawl errors are problems Googlebot hits when trying to access your pages. Common ones: 404 (page not found), 500 (server error), redirect loops. They waste crawl budget and can mean important pages aren't indexed. ## Key points - 404 errors (page not found) are the most common crawl error — primarily caused by deleted content or URL changes without proper redirects - 500-series server errors indicate a problem on your server — Googlebot will retry but may temporarily de-index affected pages - Google Search Console's Coverage report is the primary tool for identifying and monitoring crawl errors - Not all crawl errors matter equally — a 404 on a page with no inbound links and no organic traffic can be safely ignored ## Types of Crawl Errors Crawl errors fall into several categories, each with different causes and solutions[1]. 404 (Not Found): the most common — the page doesn't exist at that URL. Usually caused by deleted content, [URL structure](https://skribra.com/glossary/url-structure) changes, or typos in [internal links](https://skribra.com/glossary/internal-linking). Fix by implementing [301 redirects](https://skribra.com/glossary/301-redirect) for pages with links, or let Googlebot naturally stop crawling pages with no links over time. 500-series errors: server errors that prevent Googlebot from loading the page. Common causes: server overload, database connection failures, or code errors. Prioritize these — they may affect multiple pages simultaneously and can cause temporary deindexing. Soft 404s: pages that return a 200 OK status but display 'page not found' content — harder to detect but equally problematic. Redirect errors: chains, loops, or redirects to pages that subsequently error. ## Finding and Prioritizing Crawl Errors [Google Search Console](https://skribra.com/glossary/google-search-console)'s Index Coverage report categorizes all URLs Google has attempted to crawl by status: Valid, Valid with warnings, Excluded, and Error[1][2]. Focus on the Error category first — these are pages Google tried to index but couldn't. Within errors, prioritize by: pages that previously had organic traffic (check GA4 for historic traffic), pages with significant inbound [backlinks](https://skribra.com/glossary/backlink) (check Ahrefs for external links to the 404 URL), and pages in your XML [XML Sitemap](https://skribra.com/glossary/sitemap) (these are pages you've told Google should be indexed). Screaming Frog crawled alongside Search Console data gives a more complete picture — it finds crawl errors that Search Console may not report because it only shows what Googlebot has attempted, not what might be reachable. ## Preventing and Monitoring Crawl Errors Proactive crawl error prevention is more efficient than reactive fixing[2]. Before deleting content: check if the page has any inbound links (internal or external) — if yes, implement a [redirect](https://skribra.com/glossary/301-redirect) to the most relevant live page before deletion. Before restructuring URLs: implement all redirects simultaneously with the change, not after. After any deployment: immediately crawl with Screaming Frog or a similar tool to catch any newly introduced errors. Set up crawl error alerts in [Search Console](https://skribra.com/glossary/google-search-console) — Google will send email notifications for significant increases in crawl errors. Check the Coverage report monthly as routine maintenance. For large sites, a scheduled weekly crawl using Screaming Frog with automated error reporting provides early warning of crawl health degradation before it impacts rankings. ## Related terms - [Google Search Console](https://skribra.com/glossary/google-search-console): A free tool from Google that provides data and diagnostic information about how your website performs in Google Search — including which queries drive traffic, which pages are indexed, Core Web Vitals scores, crawl errors, and manual action notifications. - [301 Redirect](https://skribra.com/glossary/301-redirect): An HTTP status code that permanently redirects one URL to another, telling browsers and search engines that the original page has moved and passing the majority of its link equity to the new destination. - [Crawlability](https://skribra.com/glossary/crawlability): The ability of search engine bots to access, navigate, and read the pages on your website without encountering technical barriers. - [Indexing](https://skribra.com/glossary/indexing): The process by which a search engine stores and organizes crawled web pages in its database so they can be retrieved and displayed in search results. ## Sources 1. [Google Search Central — Troubleshoot Google Search Crawling Errors](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/crawling-indexing/troubleshoot-crawling-errors) 2. [Ahrefs — Crawl Errors: How to Find and Fix Them](https://ahrefs.com/blog/crawl-errors/) ## Machine-readable index - HTML version of this page: https://skribra.com/glossary/crawl-errors - Site index for agents: https://skribra.com/llms.txt - Sitemap: https://skribra.com/sitemap.xml - Public REST API: https://skribra.com/api/v1 - OpenAPI specification: https://skribra.com/openapi.json