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Google Search Console is a tool most websites use. It is fundamentally a web service that allows you to monitor and manage your website’s presence in Google search results. However, while using the tool, you are likely to encounter various errors that require timely identification and resolution. These errors can negatively impact user experience, affecting the site’s rankings over a period. So, let’s look at some common ones in this blog and learn how you can identify and fix them.
Status Code Errors
These relate to the HTTP status codes returned when the Googlebot attempts to crawl a website’s pages. These codes are delayed every time a website loads. When a user enters a URL or a bot visits the website, the system sends a request to the site’s server. The server responds with a HTTP status code that informs the bot or browser, more about the page. Status Code errors are three-digit numbers like 200, 301, or 404. All these status codes convey different information. For example, 200 indicates everything is good and users can access the page as desired.
To check if you have any Status Code errors, you can open Google Search Console and click on pages in the left-hand menu. The system will show a breakdown of the pages on your side based on their indexing status (indexed or not indexed). In some cases, it is possible that some pages haven’t been indexed because of a status code error. You can check that by scrolling down to the report’s bottom and find out the reason why your page isn’t indexed.
In case of a status error, you will see one of the following under reasons like Soft 404, Server Error (5xx), Unauthorized request (401), Not Found (404), Soft 404 and Redirect error (3xx). For example, a Server Error (5xx) is a three-number status code starting with 5 reflects a server error. It signifies a problem with the server hosting your website. Some common reasons for this error include server configuration problems, programming errors, database issues and resource exhaustion. While fixing Server Error (5xx) in Google Search Console, here are the steps to follow.
- Review recent changes. If the error started occurring after recent updates or changes to your website, consider rolling back those changes to see if the issue is resolved.
- Connect with your hosting provider if you aren’t sure about resolving the server error, or if it is related to the server infrastructure.
- Ensure your server has sufficient resources to handle the traffic and requests to your site. If required, consider upgrading your hosting plan.
- Once you identify the error and resolve its cause, submit a recrawl request to Google Search Console for the affected pages.
Core Web Vital Issues
These are a set of user-centered metrics, measuring the loading performance, interactivity, and visual stability of a particular page. So, Core Web Vitals play a crucial role in measuring how quick and user-friendly your website is to use. It comprises three primary metrics, including Largest Contentful Paint (LCP) – how long the content element takes to be visible, Interaction to Next Paint (INP) – the webpage’s response to user interactions and Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS) – the number of times the page shifts around while loading. Google Console Search flags Core Web Vitals performance issues, alerting you of a problem. You can resolve it with Site Audit.
- When you open Site Audit, choose an existing project or click + Create Project.
- Configure the settings and click Start Site Audit.
- You will see results in a few minutes.
- The Overview report will show you a widget on the right called Core Web Vitals. Go to View Details to see your performance against Core Web Vitals metrics for ten site pages.
- Next, scroll down to Metrics to see the performance breakup with three Core Web Vitals. You will see Top Improvements below each one with suggestions to improve your site’s performance in a particular area.
Want to score high on Core Web Vitals and exemplify user experience? BrainMine Bangalore is here to help and hand-hold.
HTTPS Errors
Google prefers ranking websites with an SSL certificate that indicates data encryption between a website and a browser. When you have it, all pages on your site will begin with https://. In case a page doesn’t, you must fix it instantly. Open Google Search Console and click HTTPS in the menu on your left hand. You will see a table that shows if you have a non-HTTPS URL on your site.
Now, how to fix HTTPS errors? Scroll down on the HTTPS page in Google Search Console where you will see a table with the name Why pages are not being served over HTTPS. Click the appropriate issue row to know the URLs the error is affecting. When you see the list of URLs, you can remove any links to these pages and make a recrawl request.
Security Issues
Security issues can result in Google labeling your site as potentially harmful to users. Google Search Console offers a Security Issues Report that provides information about potential security issues or threats detected on your site. Some common errors include hacked content, malware infections, and social engineering.
You can fix these errors through the section Security Issues that will show you flagged issues. Google provides information about the type of security issues identified and recommends or takes action to resolve them. In case your website has malware or hacked content, clean and secure it. Next, remove malicious codes, introduce more security measures, and update its passwords. Once you do it, submit your site for a review to let Google assess if you have addressed the issues.
So, that was about some common Google Search Console errors. Of course, you will see many more. However, we recommend partnering with a web development agency in Bangalore to deal with them effectively, appropriately, and sustainably. BrainMine Bangalore can fill that position. With over 12 years of ceaseless operations and relentless service, we can help you keep your website healthy, crawlable, and optimally functional. Please email us at info@brainminetech.com to ensure your website stays performant and in the top search engine result pages.
