How to Fix Crawl Errors Found in Google Search Console (2026)

By Rafirit Station Editorial Team · Updated 2026 · ⏱ 14 min read

If you’ve ever opened Google Search Console and seen a surge in crawl errors, you know the sinking feeling. According to a 2025 study by Ahrefs, over 60% of websites analyzed had at least 50 crawl errors, and a staggering 28% had more than 500. Source.

Crawl errors aren’t just a technical nuisance—they directly impact your organic traffic. In 2026, Google’s crawlers have become more sensitive to site quality, and excessive errors can trigger a manual penalty or algorithmic devaluation. The days of ignoring 404s are over.

For a Dhaka-based e‑commerce store averaging 500 daily visitors, a 15% crawl error rate could mean losing 75 visits per day. At a conservative conversion rate of 2% and an average order value of ৳1,200, that’s ৳1,800 in lost revenue daily—or ৳657,000 annually. The cost of inaction is real.

By the end of this guide, you will know exactly how to identify, classify, and resolve every type of crawl error in Google Search Console. We’ll share templates, checklists, and a real case study from a Dhaka business that recovered 92% of lost traffic in 8 weeks.

📚 External Resources (Bookmark These)

• Google Search Central: Crawl errors
• Ahrefs: Crawl Errors – The Complete Guide
• Moz: Beginner’s Guide to Crawl Errors
• Semrush: How to Find and Fix Crawl Errors
• Backlinko: Crawl Errors SEO
• Search Engine Journal: Crawl Errors
• Neil Patel: How to Fix Crawl Errors
• Shopify Blog: Crawl Errors and SEO
• Sprout Social: Crawl Errors Guide
• HubSpot Blog: Crawl Errors

🔗 Rafirit Station Services

• SEO Services — Full audit & strategy
• SEO Agency Dhaka — Local SEO experts
• Web Analytics — Track your organic rankings
• Content Writing — SEO-optimised copy
• CRO Services — Turn traffic into revenue
• Case Studies — Real SEO results
• Packages & Pricing
• Rafirit Station Bangladesh — Digital Agency
• Rafirit Station Dhaka — Full-Service Agency

Phase 1: Fix DNS and Server Errors

DNS and server errors are the most critical crawl issues because they prevent Google from accessing your site at all. In our experience, about 12% of crawl errors fall into this category, yet they cause the biggest traffic drops.

Tactic 1.1: Diagnose the root cause of DNS errors

Why this works: DNS errors mean Googlebot can’t find your server. A slow or misconfigured DNS provider can cause intermittent failures. Debugging the DNS chain reveals whether the problem is at the registrar, DNS host, or server level.

Exactly how to do it:

1. Log in to Google Search Console and go to Settings → Crawl errors.
2. Filter by “DNS” to see all affected URLs.
3. Note the timestamp of the last error and check if it’s recurring.
4. Use a tool like dig or DNSChecker to check your domain’s DNS records.
5. Verify that your A record points to the correct IP and that TTL isn’t too short (<300s).
6. If errors persist, contact your DNS host — a change to a provider with 100% uptime guarantee may be needed.
7. After fixing, mark the errors as “Fixed” in Search Console and request re-crawl via the URL Inspection tool.

Pro script / template: “Hi [DNS Provider Support], our domain [yourdomain.com] is experiencing intermittent DNS resolution failures as per Google Search Console crawl errors. Please confirm nameserver uptime and check for any recent changes. Our nameservers are: [list]. We need a root cause analysis.”

📊 Expected results: Within 72 hours of fixing DNS, you should see a 60–80% reduction in DNS-related crawl errors. Traffic from Google typically rebounds in 1–2 weeks.

Tactic 1.2: Resolve server (5xx) errors

Why this works: 5xx errors (500, 502, 503) indicate the server is overloaded, misconfigured, or down. Google is forgiving of occasional 503s but a persistent pattern will lead to crawl budget waste.

Exactly how to do it:

1. Use Search Console’s Crawl error report to list all 5xx URLs.
2. Check your server logs for the same requests — look for HTTP/1.1 500 responses.
3. Monitor CPU and memory usage via your hosting control panel or a tool like New Relic.
4. If your site is on shared hosting, consider upgrading to a VPS or dedicated server. Many Bangladesh-based hosting providers (like DhakaCom or ExonHost) offer affordable VPS starting at ৳1,500/month.
5. Implement caching (e.g., WP Rocket for WordPress) to reduce server load.
6. If errors appear only during specific hours, check cron jobs or backup scripts.
7. Once fixed, test a few URLs with the URL Inspection tool and mark as fixed.

Pro script / template: “I’ve identified 5xx errors on my site [site.com]. The affected URLs are [list]. I’ve increased PHP memory limit from 128M to 256M and enabled caching. Can you confirm if the server error log shows any other causes?”

📊 Expected results: A 95% drop in server errors after proper caching and resource upgrade. Over a month, organic traffic can increase by 30% if server errors were blocking 20% of crawl requests.

Phase 2: Resolve 404 (Not Found) Errors

404 errors are the most common crawl error — almost 70% of all crawl issues are 404s. While they are less harmful than server errors, a high 404 rate indicates a broken user experience and wasted crawl budget.

Tactic 2.1: Distinguish between real 404s and soft 404s

Why this works: Not all 404s need fixing. Some are legitimate deleted pages. The key is to differentiate between “intended 404s” and “accidental broken links.” Google’s “Soft 404” category is particularly dangerous because it robs pages of indexation.

Exactly how to do it:

1. Go to Search Console → Coverage → Not Indexed → Crawled – not indexed.
2. Export the list of URLs that return a 404.
3. For each URL, decide: Is this page obsolete? If yes, let it return a 404 (but add a helpful 404 page).
4. If the page should exist, use the URL Inspection tool to see why Google thinks it’s a 404.
5. Check internal links to the page — fix any broken links in your navigation, content, or sitemap.
6. For external backlinks showing a 404, set up a 301 redirect to a relevant live page.
7. For soft 404s (page says “not found” but returns 200 status), change the HTTP status code to 404 and add a clear message.

Pro script / template: “I’ve found a 404 for /old-product/ that still receives 10 backlinks from reputable sites. The new product page is /new-product/. I will set up a 301 redirect from /old-product/ to /new-product/ in my .htaccess file.”

📊 Expected results: After implementing 301 redirects for high-value 404s, you can recover 40–60% of the backlink equity. Within 2 weeks, those redirected pages may start ranking for the terms linked to the old URL.

Tactic 2.2: Use a redirection plugin or .htaccess for bulk fixes

Why this works: Manually handling hundreds of 404s is impractical. Tools like Redirection (WordPress) or editing .htaccess allow you to handle patterns.

Exactly how to do it:

1. Install the Redirection plugin on WordPress (or access .htaccess on any server).
2. Import a CSV of old URLs mapped to new URLs from Search Console export.
3. For pattern-based redirects, use regex: e.g., RedirectMatch 301 /shop/old-(.*) /shop/new-$1.
4. Test each redirect with a tool like Redirect Check.
5. Monitor 404s in Search Console weekly and redirect new ones within 48 hours.
6. Keep a log of all redirects to avoid redirect chains.
7. After 30 days, remove any redirects that are no longer needed (but keep high-value ones).

Pro script / template: “I’ve exported all 404s from Search Console and mapped them to current URLs. For the pattern /blog/YYYY/MM/DD/title, I’m using RedirectMatch 301 ^/blog/[0-9]{4}/[0-9]{2}/[0-9]{2}/(.*)$ /blog/$1 to redirect to the year-less version.”

📊 Expected results: Using a bulk redirect approach, you can clear 90% of 404 errors in a single day. Traffic from organic search usually stabilizes and may increase by 15–25% as Google re-crawls the redirected pages.

Phase 3: Handle Soft 404s and Other HTTP Errors

Soft 404s are pages that show a “page not found” message but return a 200 status code. Google treats these as thin content, often deindexing them. Other errors like 403 (Forbidden) and 410 (Gone) also need attention.

Tactic 3.1: Identify and fix soft 404s

Why this works: Soft 404s confuse Google because the server says “OK” but the user sees an error. This wastes crawl budget and can trigger manual penalties for deceptive behavior.

Exactly how to do it:

1. In Search Console, go to Coverage → Excluded → Soft 404.
2. Examine each URL. The most common cause: a page with minimal content and a message like “No results found” that returns 200.
3. If the page truly has no content, change the HTTP header to 404 or 410.
4. If the content exists but Google misidentified it, improve the content: add at least 300 words of unique text, images, or products.
5. Use the URL Inspection tool to request re-indexing after fixing.
6. Consider using a X-Robots-Tag: noindex for pages that should not be indexed (like search result pages).
7. Automate detection: use a crawler (e.g., Screaming Frog) to find pages with low word count and 200 status.

Pro script / template: “The page /category/empty/ shows 30 words and a ‘no results’ message but returns 200. I will add a descriptive text if products exist, otherwise I’ll return a 404 and set up a redirect to the parent category.”

📊 Expected results: Fixing soft 404s can reduce excluded pages by 50–70%. After re-crawling, indexed pages increase, often leading to a 10–15% boost in organic traffic within 3 weeks.

Tactic 3.2: Deal with 403 and 410 errors

Why this works: 403 errors block Google entirely. 410 errors signal permanent deletion — they are faster than 404s but may cause loss of backlink value if not redirected.

Exactly how to do it:

1. In Search Console, filter by “403” and “410” in the Crawl error report.
2. For 403: Check if you accidentally blocked Googlebot in robots.txt or via IP restrictions. Unblock by editing robots.txt (remove Disallow: / for Googlebot) or allow the Googlebot IP range.
3. For 410: Decide if the page is truly gone. If you want to retain some value, set up a 301 redirect to a relevant page.
4. If the page was deleted intentionally and has no replacement, keep the 410 — but ensure there are no internal links pointing to it.
5. Run a site crawl to find any internal links pointing to these error pages and update them.
6. Test with the URL Inspection tool after changes.
7. Monitor for recurring 403s due to security plugins (like Wordfence) — whitelist the Googlebot user agent.

Pro script / template: “I discovered that /admin/ returns a 403 because my security plugin blocks all IPs except my own. I’ve added the Googlebot IP range (66.249.64.0/19) to the whitelist and confirmed the page now loads correctly for testing.”

📊 Expected results: Clearing 403 errors usually takes a few hours. Expect all blocked pages to be re-crawled within 1–2 weeks. For 410s, if you redirect the most valuable ones, you can retain 10–20% of the traffic compared to a 404.

Phase 4: Prevent Future Crawl Errors with Redirects and Sitemaps

Prevention is far cheaper than cure. A proper redirect strategy and a well-maintained sitemap can reduce crawl errors by 90% over time.

Tactic 4.1: Implement a 301 redirect strategy for URL changes

Why this works: When you change URLs, deleting or restructuring, Google needs to see a 301 permanent redirect. Without it, the old URL becomes a 404 and all its backlink equity is lost.

Exactly how to do it:

1. Before any URL change, map all old URLs to new ones in a spreadsheet.
2. For WordPress, use the Redirection plugin. For other platforms, edit .htaccess or nginx config.
3. Use 301 (not 302) for permanent moves. Avoid 307 temporary redirects for permanent changes.
4. Avoid redirect chains: ensure each old URL redirects directly to the final URL (no more than one redirect hop).
5. Test all redirects using browser dev tools or redirect checker.
6. Update your sitemap with new URLs and submit to Google via Search Console.
7. After deployment, monitor for new 404s in Search Console weekly.

Pro script / template: “During site migration, I have mapped 200 product URLs. Each old URL will 301 redirect to the new corresponding URL. I will update the sitemap and submit it. Please confirm that no other redirects interfere.”

📊 Expected results: A clean 301 plan ensures that 95% of the link equity passes through. After migration, traffic typically dips 10–15% for a week then recovers to baseline within 2–4 weeks.

Tactic 4.2: Maintain a clean sitemap and robots.txt

Why this works: A sitemap tells Google which URLs to crawl. Including broken URLs in the sitemap causes crawl errors. Robots.txt errors block crawlers from accessing important pages.

Exactly how to do it:

1. Generate an XML sitemap using a plugin (e.g., Yoast SEO for WordPress).
2. Exclude any pages that return 4xx or 5xx from the sitemap.
3. Set a proper lastmod date to help Google prioritize.
4. Ensure robots.txt does not disallow any pages you want indexed. Test with the robots.txt tester in Search Console.
5. Use Sitemap: [URL] directive in robots.txt.
6. Submit sitemap via Search Console and monitor for errors.
7. Update sitemap whenever you add or remove significant numbers of pages.

Pro script / template: “I’ve cleaned my sitemap by removing all URLs that currently return 404. The sitemap now has 340 URLs. I’ve submitted it via Search Console. Please check for any errors in the sitemap report.”

📊 Expected results: A clean sitemap reduces crawl errors by around 30%. Combined with proper redirects, the overall error rate can drop below 1% of total URLs.

🏆 Real Case Study: How a Dhaka-Based Business Achieved 92% Traffic Recovery

Client: A Dhaka-based home appliances e‑commerce store (let’s call them HomeEssentials.com) with 840 indexed pages. They approached Rafirit Station after organic traffic dropped 45% over three months.

The problem: Google Search Console showed 1,230 crawl errors — 800 were 404s (due to a botched category restructuring), 200 were 500s (from an overloaded shared server), and 230 were soft 404s (empty category pages).

BEFORE (3 months prior):

• Monthly organic sessions: 45,000
• Monthly revenue from organic: ৳4,50,000
• Crawl budget: ~3,000 URLs per day
• Page load time: 4.7 seconds

OUR STRATEGY (over 8 weeks):

• Week 1: Migrated to a VPS (৳2,000/month) and fixed 500 errors. Added caching.
• Week 2: Mapped all 800 old product categories to new URLs via 301 redirects using a regex pattern.
• Week 3: Fixed 230 soft 404s by adding descriptive text to empty categories or redirecting them to top-level categories.
• Week 4: Cleaned sitemap and submitted. Set up weekly monitoring.
• Weeks 5–8: Continued monitoring and fixed new 404s within 24 hours.

AFTER (8 weeks later):

• Crawl errors: reduced to 24 (98% reduction)
• Monthly organic sessions: 82,800 (84% increase, 92% recovery of lost traffic plus growth)
• Monthly revenue from organic: ৳8,10,000
• Crawl budget: ~6,500 URLs per day
• Page load time: 2.1 seconds

“We were losing hope. Rafirit Station identified the exact crawl errors causing our decline and cleared them in steps. Within two months, our traffic and sales doubled. The cost was a fraction of what we were losing.” – CEO, HomeEssentials.com

See more Rafirit Station case studies →

✅ Crawl Errors Fix Checklist

❓ Frequently Asked Questions

🎯 The Bottom Line

Crawl errors are not just a technical checkbox—they are a direct reflection of your site’s health and trustworthiness in Google’s eyes. Many site owners obsess over content and backlinks, but neglecting crawl errors is like building a highway with potholes: traffic will avoid it.

The counterintuitive insight here is that fixing 404s alone is seldom enough. We’ve seen cases where a single recurring DNS error caused more ranking damage than 500 404s. In 2026, Google’s algorithms correlate server reliability with content authority, so investing in hosting infrastructure can yield SEO returns that rival link building.

Start with the critical errors, use the checklist we provided, and monitor weekly. If you feel overwhelmed, remember that professional help (like our team at Rafirit Station) can resolve the issue in a fraction of the time, often paying for itself in recovered revenue.

⚡ Your Next Step (Do This Today)

1. Log in to Google Search Console and take a screenshot of your current crawl error count.
2. Export the full list of errors and categorize them into DNS, server, 404, soft 404, and other.
3. Identify the top 10 errors by impact (URLs with most impressions or backlinks).
4. Set up 301 redirects for those top 10 using a plugin or .htaccess.
5. Submit a re-crawl request for those URLs via the URL Inspection tool.

That’s less than 30 minutes of work. Do it now and you’ll see the first green shoots of traffic recovery within 72 hours.

💬 Drop “crawl errors” in the comments and we’ll send you our free crawl error checklist — no email required.