Common Google Search Console Errors and How to Fix Them Quickly

Google Search Console (GSC) is an important tool for search engine optimization as well as for digital marketers. It is a free tool provided by Google that helps to all types of website either it is service or products based to monitor and improve their site's presence in Google search result pages(SERPs). Before its rebranding on May 20, 2015, it was known as Google Webmaster Tools. Since then, GSC has introduced a range of reports that provide valuable insights into a website’s performance, allowing users to track search clicks, impression, average CTR, average position and all types of errors in the website for better search rankings and user experience. XML sitemap is also being submit in Google Search Console.

First, we will analyze the most common errors that arise in GSC reports and consider possible ways to fix them.

• Not found (404)
• Soft 404
• Server error (5xx)
• Redirect error
• Crawled - currently not indexed
• Discovered - currently not indexed
• Duplicate without user-selected canonical
• Alternate page with proper canonical tag
• Forbidden (403)
• Indexed, though blocked by robots.txt
• Excluded by ‘noindex’ tag
• Mobile Usability

1. Not Found (404)

The ‘Not found (404)’ report contains a list of URLs of website pages that return a 404 response to the server (page not found).

To view the report, go to the ‘Pages’ → ‘Not found (404)’ section:             

 

 How to Fixed 

• Restore inaccessible pages if they were deleted by mistake
• Use 301 redirects to new location that is similar to similar pages.

2. Soft 404

The ‘Soft 404’ report contains a list of URLs of website pages that show users the ‘Page not found’ template, but return a 200 server response instead of a 404. Such pages are also called ‘redirect’ or ‘soft’ 404 errors. 

To view the report, go to the ‘Pages’ → ‘Soft 404’ section:

How to Fix

We recommend to fix soft 404 pages by adding more information on the page to let google know more about this pages.

3. Server Errors (5XX)

This means that the error occurs on the server side and may require the help of a programmer or system administrator to fix it.

To view the report, go to ‘Pages’ → ‘Server error (5xx)’. Example:

How To Fix

• Reload the page
• Clear cookies
• Rollback changes

4. Redirect Error

The "Page with redirect" report shows a list of website pages that automatically send users to different pages. This happens when a page has been moved or replaced, and the server directs visitors to the new or correct page.

To view the report, go to the ‘Pages’ → ‘Page with redirect’ section:

How To Fix

If we find pages redirect users to other page or new page we can apply 301 redirection 

5. Crawled - currently not indexed

The page was crawled by Google but not indexed. It may or may not be indexed in the future.

To view the report, go to the ‘Pages’ → ‘Crawled - currently not indexed’ section:

How To Fix

• Improve content quality
• Use internal links
• Remove duplicate content
• Request Re- indexing in GSC

6. Discovered - currently not indexed

The page was found by Google, but not crawled yet. Typically, Google wanted to crawl the URL but this was expected to overload the site.

To view the report, go to the ‘Pages’ → ‘Discovered - currently not indexed’ section:

How To Fix

• Request Indexing
• Check Your Sitemap
• Check for Duplicate Content
• Removed Duplicate Content
• Improve Content Quality

7. Duplicate without user-selected canonical

It means Google has chosen the other page as the canonical for this page

To view the report, go to the ‘Pages’ → ‘Duplicate without user-selected canonical’ section:

How To Fix

Add a canonical tag: Add a canonical tag to the header section of the HTML file.

8. Forbidden (403)

HTTP 403 means that the user agent provided credentials, but was not granted access. However, Googlebot never provides credentials, so your server is returning this error incorrectly. The page will not be indexed.

To view the report, go to the ‘Pages’ → ‘Forbidden (403)’ section:

How To Fix

• Clear your browser cache and cookies
• Deactivate browser extensions
• Check your file permissions

8. Indexed, Though Blocked by Robots.txt

The page was indexed but being blocked by your website's robots.txt file. Google always respects robots.txt, but this doesn't necessarily prevent indexing if someone else links to your page.

To view the report, go to the ‘Pages’ → ‘Indexed, Though Blocked by Robots.txt’ section:

How To Fix

Removed all these URLs block by robots.txt file.

9. Excluded by ‘noindex’ tag

The ‘Excluded by 'noindex' tag’ report contains a list of URLs of website pages that are excluded from indexing by search engines by using the Robots meta tag with the value ‘Noindex’.

To view the report, go to the ‘Pages’ → ‘Indexed, Though Blocked by Robots.txt’ section:

How To Fix

If you find pages that are erroneously blocked from being indexed by search engines, you should take steps to unblock them.

10. Mobile Usability

The "Mobile Usability" report in Google Search Console highlights issues that could affect how well your website works on mobile devices. Common errors include:

• Text too small to read
• Clickable elements too close together
• Content wider than the screen

To view the report, go to the ‘Core Web Vitals’ → ‘Mobile’ section: You can the the numbers of effected URLs from mobile device

How To Fix

• Use API Pages
• Use a responsive design
• Optimize your website's speed
• Optimize your images
• Eliminate pop-ups
• Fixed Core Web Vitals Issues

Conclusion

Google Search Console has many useful reports that can help you identify and fix important errors, improving the quality of your website and boosting its position in organic search. We can also fix all these issue by validating all effected URLs by submitting in Validation section in GSC.

Also Read - Role of Google Search Console and Google Analytics in SEO