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.

Why It’s 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.

1. “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.

2. 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.

3. 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.

4. 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

1. 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.

2. 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.

3. 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.

4. 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.

5. 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.

6. 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.

7. 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)

8. 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 Guide to Fixing GSC Errors

1. 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.

2. 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.

3. 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.

4. 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:

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. 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.
6. 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.
7. 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

1. 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.

2. 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.

3. 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 if the 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)