Table of Contents
What is Google Search Console (GSC)
Google Search Console (GSC) is a powerful tool that allows website owners to monitor their website’s health, performance, and search engine visibility. It provides valuable insights into your website’s performance, including search queries, click-through rates, and other important metrics. However, like any other tool, GSC can encounter errors that can affect its functionality. In this blog post, we will explore how to fix common GSC errors and why it’s so important to resolve them.
Key Features of Google Search Console (GSC):
- Performance Monitoring: Track website traffic, impressions, clicks, and ranking positions for specific keywords.
- Indexing Issues: Identify which pages are indexed by Google and fix crawling or indexing errors.
- Mobile Usability: Check mobile-friendliness and resolve issues affecting user experience.
- Security & Manual Actions: Get alerts for security threats, penalties, or manual actions from Google.
- Sitemaps & URL Submission: Submit sitemaps and individual URLs for faster indexing.
- Core Web Vitals: Monitor site speed and user experience metrics.
- Backlink & Internal Link Analysis: Analyze which websites link to your site and improve internal linking.
Greatinflux provides the best SEO and digital marketing services and we use GSC to optimize our client’s websites and improve their rankings effectively. Let us know if you need help setting up or analyzing GSC data and rank your website!
Why So Important to Fix GSC Errors
GSC errors can impact your website’s search engine visibility, crawlability, and overall performance. If left unresolved, these errors can negatively affect your website’s ranking, resulting in decreased traffic, leads, and revenue. Therefore, it’s crucial to address any GSC errors as soon as possible to maintain your website’s health and performance.
Common GSC Errors and Their Solutions.
- “No Index” Tag Error
When the “noindex” tag is used in a web page’s header section, it tells search engines not to index that page. This can result in decreased traffic and visibility for that page. To fix this error, you need to remove the “noindex” tag from the page’s header section.
- Sitemap Issues
If your website’s sitemap is not working correctly, it can affect the search engine’s ability to crawl your website, resulting in decreased visibility. To fix this error, you need to check your sitemap for any errors, such as broken links, and ensure that it’s properly formatted and submitted to GSC.
- Server Connectivity Issues
If your website is experiencing server connectivity issues, GSC may not be able to access your website, resulting in error messages. To fix this error, you need to check your server’s connectivity and ensure that your website is accessible.
- DNS Errors
Domain Name System (DNS) errors occur when GSC cannot connect to your website’s server due to DNS issues. To fix this error, you need to check your website’s DNS settings and ensure that they’re configured correctly.
Common GSC Errors and Their Solutions
- Page with Redirect Error
When a page has a redirect error, it means that there’s an issue with the redirect URL, and it may not be working correctly. This error can affect your website’s search engine visibility and crawlability. To fix this error, you need to check the redirect URL and ensure that it’s working correctly.
- Soft 404 Error
A soft 404 error occurs when a web page is missing, but the server returns a 200 status code instead of a 404 status code. This error can negatively impact your website’s search engine visibility and crawlability. To fix this error, you need to ensure that the web page returns a 404 status code and remove any links to that page from your website.
- Excluded by ‘noindex’ Tag
When a page is excluded by a ‘noindex’ tag, it tells search engines not to index that page. This error can negatively impact your website’s search engine visibility and crawlability. To fix this error, you need to remove the ‘noindex’ tag from the page’s header section.
- Not Found (404) Error
A not-found error occurs when a web page cannot be found. This error can negatively impact your website’s search engine visibility and crawlability. To fix this error, you need to ensure that the web page is available and accessible to search engines and users.
- Crawled – Currently Not Indexed
This error occurs when search engines crawl a web page, but it’s not indexed. This error can negatively impact your website’s search engine visibility and crawlability. To fix this error, you need to investigate the web page’s content and structure and ensure that it meets the search engine’s quality guidelines.
- Discovered – Currently Not Indexed
This error occurs when search engines discover a web page, but it’s not indexed. This error can negatively impact your website’s search engine visibility and crawlability. To fix this error, you need to investigate the web page’s content and structure and ensure that it meets the search engine’s quality guidelines.
- Alternate Page with Proper Canonical Tag
An alternate page error occurs when a web page has an alternate version that’s indexed instead of the primary page. This error can negatively impact your website’s search engine visibility and crawlability. To fix this error, you need to use the canonical tag to indicate the primary page. (Ex.https://xyz.com and https://www.xyz.xom)
- Duplicate without User-Selected Canonical
A duplicate content error occurs when there are multiple versions of the same web page. This error can negatively impact your website’s search engine visibility and crawlability. To fix this error, you need to use the canonical tag to indicate the primary page.
Step-by-Step Process to Fixing GSC Errors
- Identify the Error
The first step in fixing a GSC error is to identify the issue. Check the GSC dashboard for any error messages, and investigate the issue to determine its cause.
- Understand the Cause
Once you’ve identified the error, you need to understand its cause. Review the relevant documentation, forums, or online resources to gain a better understanding of the issue and how to fix it.
- Take Action
Once you understand the cause of the error, take appropriate action to fix it. Follow the recommended steps to address the issue, and ensure that you’ve resolved the problem.
- Check for Results
After you’ve taken action to fix the error, check to see if the issue has been resolved. Monitor your website’s performance and GSC data to ensure that the error has been resolved and that your website’s performance has improved.
How To Identify Search Console Errors and Determine If There’s a Problem
Finding the GSC error and fixing them is simple:
Google Search Console provides a wealth of information about the performance of your website in Google search results. One important aspect of the Search Console is the ability to identify errors and issues that may be affecting your website’s search rankings.
Here are some steps to identify Search Console errors and determine if there’s a problem:
- Log in to your Google Search Console account and navigate to the “Coverage” report. This report will show you any errors, warnings, or other issues that Google has encountered when crawling and indexing your website.
- Review the list of errors and warnings. The most common errors include crawl errors, server errors, and soft 404 errors. These errors can indicate issues with your website’s technical setup or content.
- Look for patterns in the errors. Are they concentrated on a particular page or section of your website? This may indicate a larger issue that needs to be addressed.
- Check the “Index” report to ensure that your website’s pages are being properly indexed by Google. If you notice that some pages are not being indexed, this could indicate a technical issue or a problem with the content on those pages.
- Review the “Security & Manual Actions” report to see if Google has detected any security issues or manual actions that may be affecting your website’s search rankings.
- Take action to resolve any errors or issues that you find. This may involve making technical changes to your website, updating your content, or requesting a review from Google.
- Monitor your Search Console account regularly to ensure that new errors or issues are addressed promptly.
NOTES:
- In the end, GSC is software. Software can misbehave at times! (Yes, including Google software.) Therefore, you should wait it out if Google is the cause of the problem occasionally.
Common Mistakes to Avoid When Fixing GSC Errors
- Not Understanding the Cause of the Error
One of the most common mistakes people make when fixing GSC errors is not understanding the cause of the issue. Without understanding the root cause of the error, it’s challenging to fix it effectively.
- Not Taking Action
Another common mistake is not taking appropriate action to fix the error. It’s crucial to follow the recommended steps and take prompt action to address the issue.
- Not Checking for Results
Finally, it’s important to check for results after you’ve taken action to fix the error. If you don’t monitor your website’s performance, you may not know what is actual issue.
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Reference Link for GSC: learn more about GSC
Video Reference Link for GSC: Coverage Issues Google Search Console: How To Fix Them All (Guide)
