Common Google Search Console Errors and How to Fix Them

Google Search Console errors can tank your search rankings overnight. Pages disappear from search results. Traffic plummets. Conversions drop.

Most website owners ignore these errors until it’s too late. They check Search Console once, see dozens of issues, and feel overwhelmed.

This guide breaks down every common Google Search Console error into simple, actionable fixes. You’ll learn what each error means, why it matters, and exactly how to fix it.

By the end, you’ll know how to diagnose problems quickly and prevent errors before they damage your rankings.

Understanding Google Search Console and Its Importance

What Is Google Search Console?

Google Search Console (GSC) is a free tool from Google that monitors your website’s presence in search results. It shows how Google views your website and to identify technical issues.

GSC reports cover indexing status, search performance, mobile usability, and security issues. It’s your direct communication channel with Google about your website.

Every website owner needs Search Console. It’s the only way to know if Google can properly crawl and index your content.

How Google’s Indexing Process Works

Discovering

Google finds new pages through links, sitemaps, and URL submissions. This discovery process is continuous as Google crawls the web.

Pages must be discoverable before they can appear in search results. Broken links or missing sitemaps prevent discovery.

Crawling

After discovering URLs, Googlebot visits pages to read their content. Crawling frequency depends on site authority and content freshness.

Server errors, robots.txt blocks, or slow loading times can prevent successful crawling.

Indexing

Google processes crawled content and stores it in its index. Only indexed pages will appear in search results.

Various issues can prevent indexing even when pages are crawled successfully.

Getting Started with Google Search Console

Visit search.google.com/search-console and sign in with your Google account. Add your website property using domain or URL prefix verification.

Domain properties cover all subdomains and protocols. URL prefix properties are protocol-specific (http vs https).

Complete verification using meta tags, HTML file upload, Google Analytics, or DNS records.

Navigating the Index Coverage Report

Index Coverage report tells which pages are indexed and which have errors. Access it from the left sidebar under “Coverage” or “Pages.”

Pages are categorized as: Error, Valid with warnings, Valid, or Excluded. Focus on fixing errors first, then address warnings.

Server and Status Code Errors

1. Server Error (5xx)

• Server errors indicate your server couldn’t complete Google’s request. The most common error is the 500 Internal Server Error.
• These errors occur when servers crash, are overloaded, have configuration issues, or experience database connection problems.
• Server errors are critical. Google can’t access your content at all when these occur.
• Temporary errors might not harm rankings immediately. Persistent errors lead to deindexing within days.

How to Fix Server Errors (5xx)

• Check your server logs to identify specific error causes. Contact your hosting provider if infrastructure issues exist.
• Review recent code changes that might have introduced bugs. Test server response times and capacity under load.
• Implement caching to reduce server strain. Use a CDN to distribute content globally.

2. Redirect Errors

Redirect errors happen when redirect chains are too long or contain loops. Google follows a maximum of 5 redirects before giving up. Common causes include incorrect htaccess rules, plugin conflicts, or misconfigured redirects during site migrations.

How to Fix Redirect Errors in GSC

• Use the URL inspection tool to trace redirect chains. Identify where loops occur or chains become too long.
• Update redirects to point directly to final destinations. Remove unnecessary intermediate redirects.
• Test all redirects after changes. Use tools like Screaming Frog or redirect checkers to verify proper function.

3. Unauthorized Request Errors (401)

401 errors mean pages require authentication. Google can’t access password-protected areas or pages requiring login credentials.

These errors are expected for member areas. They are problems when pages should be publicly accessible.

How to Fix 401 Unauthorized Errors

• Remove password protection from pages that should be public. Check htaccess files for incorrect authentication rules.
• Verify server-side authentication settings. Ensure development staging areas aren’t accidentally protected in production.

4. Access Forbidden Errors (403)

403 errors indicate permission issues preventing access. Server configurations explicitly deny access to specific resources.

Common causes include incorrect file permissions, IP blocking, or security plugin restrictions.

Resolving Access Forbidden Issues

• Check file and directory permissions. Web server users need read access to files.
• Review security plugin settings. Whitelist Googlebot if overzealous security rules block legitimate crawlers.
• Examine server configuration files for deny rules. Remove or modify rules blocking search engines.

404 and Page Not Found Errors

1. Not Found (404) Errors

How to Find 404 Errors in Google Search Console

• Navigate to the Index Coverage report. Filter for “Not found (404)” error type.
• GSC shows URLs returning 404 status codes. It also displays when Google last attempted to crawl them.

When to Fix 404 Errors vs. Leave Them

• Fix 404s when pages should exist or have significant backlinks. Redirect deleted pages with traffic or inbound links.
• Leave 404s for legitimately removed content with no value. It’s normal to have some 404 errors.

How to Fix 404 Errors with Redirects

• Implement 301 redirects from old URLs to relevant replacement pages. Choose the most topically similar destination.
• Use 410 status codes for permanently removed content with no replacement. This tells Google to stop checking.
• Update internal links pointing to 404 pages. Fix broken navigation and content links.

2. Soft 404 Errors

Soft 404s occur when pages return 200 status codes but contain no meaningful content. Google treats them as non-existent. Common causes include thin content, “page not found” messages on 200 pages, or template pages with minimal content.

How to Fix Soft 404 Errors

• Return proper 404 or 410 status codes for truly missing content. Update server configuration to serve the correct codes.
• Add substantial content to pages flagged as soft 404s. Ensure pages provide genuine value.
• Check template pages generating thin content. Either add meaningful content or remove these pages entirely.

Crawl and Indexing Issues

1. URL Blocked by Robots.txt

Robots.txt files instruct search engines which pages should not be crawled. Accidental blocks prevent important pages from being indexed.

Common mistakes include blocking entire directories, using overly broad wildcards, or forgetting to update after site changes.

How to Fix Pages Blocked by Robots.txt

• Review your robots.txt file at yourdomain.com/robots.txt. Identify rules blocking important pages.
• Update robots.txt to allow access. Test changes using GSC’s robots.txt tester before publishing.
• Submit corrected URLs for reindexing through URL Inspection tool. Google will recrawl and index previously blocked pages.

2. URL Marked ‘Noindex’

This error appears when sitemaps include URLs with noindex tags. Pages with noindex tags shouldn’t be in sitemaps. Remove noindexed URLs from your sitemap. These pages tell Google not to index them.

Excluded by ‘Noindex’ Tag

Pages contain meta robots noindex tags or X-Robots-Tag HTTP headers preventing indexing. This is intentional for admin pages, thank you pages, or duplicate content. It’s an error when important pages have noindex tags.

How to Fix Noindex Issues

• Inspect page source code for <meta name=”robots” content=”noindex”> tags. Remove tags from pages that should be indexed.
• Check HTTP headers for X-Robots-Tag noindex directives. Update server configuration to remove these headers.
• Review SEO plugin settings. Many plugins add noindex tags to specific page types.

3. Crawled – Currently Not Indexed

Google successfully crawled these pages but chose not to index them. This happens when Google considers the content low quality or not unique enough.

Common Causes and Solutions

• Improve content quality and depth. Add more comprehensive information and unique insights.
• Reduce thin content pages. Consolidate similar pages or add substantial value.
• Strengthen internal linking to these pages. Build authority by linking from high-quality pages.

4. Discovered – Currently Not Indexed

Google found these URLs but hasn’t crawled them yet. They’re in a queue waiting for crawl budget allocation.

How to Get These Pages Indexed

• Request indexing through the URL Inspection tool for priority pages. This moves them up in Google’s crawl queue.
• Improve internal linking structure. Pages buried deep in site architecture get crawled less frequently.
• Build external backlinks to important undiscovered pages. This signals value to Google.

5. Indexed, Though Blocked by Robots.txt

Pages were indexed before robots.txt blocked them. Google maintains index entries but can’t recrawl to update content. This creates indexing limbo. Pages remain visible in search results but can’t be refreshed.

How to Resolve This Issue

• If pages should be indexed: Remove robots.txt blocks, then request reindexing. Google will recrawl and fully index pages.
• If pages shouldn’t be indexed: Add noindex tags before removing robots.txt blocks. Then remove robots.txt restriction so Google can read noindex tags.

6. Page Blocked by Page Removal Tool

Someone used GSC’s URL Removal Tool on these pages. Check removal requests in the Removals section. Cancel requests for pages that should be indexed.

7. Crawl Anomaly Errors

Crawl anomalies indicate unexpected responses during crawling. These include timeout errors, truncated responses, or DNS failures. Investigate server logs during error timeframes. Look for patterns indicating infrastructure issues.

Duplicate Content and Canonical Issues

1. Alternate Page with Proper Canonical Tag

These pages have canonical tags pointing elsewhere. Google respects the canonical and indexes the referenced version instead.

This status is normal for paginated content, print versions, or regional variations. It’s only problematic when incorrectly implemented.

2. Duplicate Without User-Selected Canonical

• Google detected duplicate content but found no canonical tag guidance. Google chooses which version to index.
• Add canonical tags to specify preferred versions. Point all duplicates to the primary version.
• Consolidate truly duplicate content when possible. Combine similar pages into comprehensive resources.

3. Google Chose a Different Canonical Than the User

Your canonical tag points to one URL, but Google selected a different version as canonical. This happens when Google believes its chosen version better matches search intent or has stronger signals.

How to Address Canonical Conflicts

• Strengthen signals for your preferred version. Build more internal and external links to it.
• Ensure your preferred version provides the best user experience. Google favors versions with better performance and usability.
• Verify canonical tags use absolute URLs. Relative URLs can cause interpretation issues.

4. Submitted URL Not Selected as Canonical

Pages in your sitemap aren’t the canonical versions Google chose. Remove non-canonical versions from sitemaps. Only submit canonical URLs in sitemaps. This prevents confusion about which versions you want indexed.

Mobile Usability Errors

1. Clickable Elements Too Close Together

• Touch targets (buttons, links) need a 48×48 pixel minimum size with adequate spacing. Elements too close cause accidental clicks.
• Increase button sizes and add padding. Test on actual mobile devices to verify usability.

2. Viewport Not Set

• Missing viewport meta tags cause rendering issues on mobile devices. Pages appear zoomed out and tiny.
• Add <meta name=”viewport” content=”width=device-width, initial-scale=1″> to all page head sections.
• Viewport meta tag exists, but isn’t set to device-width. Use width=device-width for proper responsive behavior.

3. Content Wider Than Screen

• Content extends beyond the viewport width, requiring horizontal scrolling. This creates poor mobile experiences.
• Use responsive CSS with max-width properties. Test across various screen sizes.
• Identify fixed-width elements causing overflow. Convert to percentage-based or flexible widths.

4. Improving Mobile Typography

Font sizes below 12px are difficult to read on mobile screens. Google flags these as usability issues. Set base font size to 16px minimum. Use relative units (em, rem) for scalability.

5. Page Uses Incompatible Plugins

Flash and other deprecated plugins don’t work on most mobile devices. Replace with modern HTML5, CSS, and JavaScript.

Core Web Vitals and Performance Issues

Core Web Vitals measure page experience through three key metrics: loading speed, interactivity, and visual stability. These metrics directly impact rankings. Poor Core Web Vitals harm visibility and user experience.

1. Largest Contentful Paint (LCP)

LCP measures loading performance. It tracks when the largest content element becomes visible. Good LCP is under 2.5 seconds. Anything over 4 seconds needs improvement.

How to Improve LCP

• Optimize images with compression and modern formats (WebP). Implement lazy loading for below-fold images.
• Reduce server response times through better hosting and caching. Use CDNs for global content delivery.
• Minimize render-blocking JavaScript and CSS. Defer non-critical resources until after initial paint.

2. First Input Delay (FID)

FID measures interactivity. It tracks time from the first user interaction to the browser response. Good FID is under 100 milliseconds. Over 300 milliseconds creates frustrating experiences.

Optimizing for Better FID

Minimize JavaScript execution time. Break long tasks into smaller chunks. Use web workers for heavy computational tasks. Keep the main thread responsive to user interactions.

3. Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS)

CLS measures visual stability. It quantifies unexpected layout shifts during page loading. Good CLS scores below 0.1. Scores above 0.25 indicate poor stability.

Fixing Large Layout Shifts

• Reserve space for images and ads with explicit width and height attributes. This prevents content jumping.
• Avoid inserting content above existing content unless triggered by user interaction.
• Use CSS aspect ratio boxes for dynamically loaded content. This maintains layout stability.

Structured Data and Enhancement Errors

1. Unparsable Structured Data

Missing ‘}’ or Object Member Name

JSON-LD syntax errors prevent Google from reading structured data. Missing brackets or commas break parsing. Validate JSON-LD using the Schema.org validator or Google’s Rich Results Test. Fix syntax errors before republishing.

Missing ‘,’ or ‘}’

Common JSON syntax mistakes include missing commas between properties and unclosed brackets. Use JSON validators during development. Most code editors highlight syntax errors automatically.

2. Product Snippet Issues

Missing “Offers”, “Review”, or “aggregateRating”

Product schema requires at least one of these properties for rich results eligibility. Add offer data with price and availability. Include review schema when products have reviews.

Missing Field “Price”

Product offers must include price values. Format prices as numbers with currency codes.

Rating Missing Required Best/Worst Values

Rating scales need minimum and maximum values defined. Add bestRating and worstRating properties.

3. Breadcrumb Errors

Missing Field “item” in “itemListElement”

Breadcrumb schema requires item properties for each element. Each breadcrumb needs a name and a URL.

4. Video Page Indexing Issues

No Thumbnail URL Provided

Video schema requires thumbnail images. Add thumbnailUrl property pointing to representative images.

Video Outside the Viewport

Videos must be visible without scrolling. Place videos prominently on pages.

Unsupported Video Format

Google supports MP4, 3GP, and other standard formats. Convert unsupported formats.

Missing Field “uploadDate”

Video schema requires upload dates. Add uploadDate properties with ISO 8601 format dates.

5. Recipe Schema Errors

Missing Cook Time Issues

Recipe schema needs prepTime, cookTime, or totalTime. Add appropriate duration properties.

Recipe Instructions Format Errors

Instructions must be properly structured with HowToStep or text format. Use step-by-step arrays.

6. Review Snippet Issues

Review schema needs author, datePublished, and reviewRating. Include all required properties.

7. FAQ and Q&A Markup Errors

FAQ schema requires question and acceptedAnswer pairs. Q&A schema needs author information and vote counts.

Security and Manual Action Issues

1. Security Issues in Google Search Console

Security issues indicate malware, hacked content, or deceptive practices on your site. Google may display warnings to users.

Steps to Address Security Problems

• Scan the site for malware using security tools. Remove malicious code and close security vulnerabilities.
• Change all passwords after cleaning the infection. Update software to patch security holes.
• Request a security review through GSC after the issues have been fixed. Google will recheck site security.

2. Manual Actions

Human reviewers apply manual actions for policy violations. These directly suppress rankings or remove pages from the index. Common causes include thin content, cloaking, unnatural links, or user-generated spam.

How to Request Reconsideration

• Fix all issues identified in the manual action report. Document the changes thoroughly.
• Submit a reconsideration request explaining the fixes. Include specific examples of improvements.

Page Removed Due to Legal Complaint

DMCA or legal complaints result in content removal. These require legal consultation to address.

Sitemap Errors

Server errors, incorrect URLs, or robots.txt blocks prevent sitemap fetching.

How to Fix Sitemap Fetch Errors

• Verify the sitemap URL is correct and accessible. Test in browser to confirm availability.
• Check robots.txt isn’t blocking the sitemap. Ensure the server responds reliably.

Sitemap Couldn’t Be Read

XML formatting errors prevent parsing. Validate sitemap syntax using XML validators.

Sitemap Contains URLs Blocked by Robots.txt

Remove blocked URLs from sitemaps. Only include crawlable URLs.

HTTPS and SSL Certificate Errors

Common HTTPS Errors in Google Search Console

Mixed content warnings occur when HTTPS pages load HTTP resources. SSL certificate issues prevent secure connections.

How to Fix HTTPS Errors

• Update all internal links to HTTPS. Replace HTTP resources with HTTPS versions.
• Ensure SSL certificates are valid and properly configured. Renew expired certificates immediately.

Verification and Property Setup Errors

1. Could Not Find Your Site – Error

Verification fails when Google can’t access your domain. Check DNS settings and server availability.

2. Couldn’t Find Your Verification Meta Tag – Error

Verification meta tag is missing or incorrectly placed. Add a tag to the head section before any body content.

3. Meta Tag Incorrect Error

Tag format doesn’t match GSC requirements. Copy the exact tag from the GSC verification page.

4. Connection to Server Timed Out

Server response times exceed limits. Improve hosting performance or reduce server load.

5. Verification Token Not Found in TXT Records

DNS verification fails when TXT records are missing. Add verification token to DNS exactly as specified.

Preventing Google Search Console Errors

Regular Site Audits

Run monthly technical audits using Screaming Frog or similar tools. Catch issues before Google reports them.

Monitor Your Site’s Health

Check GSC weekly for new errors. Set up email alerts for critical issues.

Best Practices for Error Prevention

Test thoroughly before deploying changes. Use staging environments to catch issues early. Maintain updated software and plugins. Security patches prevent hacking and malware.

Conclusion

Google Search Console errors seem overwhelming at first. But each error type has specific, straightforward fixes. Start by fixing critical server errors and indexing blocks. These have immediate ranking impacts.

Then address mobile usability and Core Web Vitals. These affect user experience and rankings progressively. Finally, optimize structured data for rich results. These enhance visibility in search results. Regular monitoring prevents small issues from becoming major problems. Check GSC weekly and fix errors promptly for sustained search visibility.

Further Reading: Learn to identify and fix the Common SaaS SEO Mistakes that tank your traffic.

Key Takeaways

• Fix server errors (5xx) and indexing blocks immediately, as they prevent crawling entirely
• Address 404 errors selectively based on backlinks and traffic importance
• Remove noindex tags and robots.txt blocks from pages that should be indexed
• Implement canonical tags to control duplicate content indexing
• Optimize Core Web Vitals for better rankings and user experience
• Validate structured data syntax to enable rich results
• Monitor GSC weekly and use Validate Fix after resolving errors

FAQs