How to Audit and Improve Your Website’s Indexability and Crawlability

How Crawling and Indexing Work Together

The automated bots called “spiders” or “crawlers” help search engines navigate the web to discover new content and revisit known pages to check for updates. New pages are added to the queue for evaluation, and only after a strict review are stored, aka indexed, in the search engine’s database. 

When the spiders begin crawling, they follow through every link and page, trying to identify structural and technical signals denoting issues. 

In short: If a page can’t be crawled, it can’t be indexed.

What Is Crawlability?

Crawlability refers to the ability of search engine bots to access, navigate, and explore the pages on your website without running into technical barriers. Roadblocks like broken links, incorrect directives, or inaccessible pages may result in skipping some portions of your site. 

That said, pages that are not crawled won’t appear in the search results, no matter how great and unique the content is.

What Causes Crawlability Issues? (and How to Audit)

Crawlability issues can stem from many different sources, some obvious, others deeply technical. That’s why routine audits are essential. From server-level blocks to broken internal links, identifying what’s preventing search engine bots from accessing your pages is the first step toward resolving it.

1. Server, DNS, CDN, and Firewall Issues

Crawlability problems often begin at the infrastructure level, before bots even reach your content. Misconfigured servers, DNS issues, or overly strict firewall settings can quietly block crawlers.

• Server Errors (5xx): Frequent 5xx errors (e.g., 500, 503) signal server instability. These reduce Googlebot’s trust and can stall indexing. Check Crawl Stats in Google Search Console for spikes in 5xx responses.
• DNS Misconfigurations: If your Domain Name System (DNS) can’t resolve properly, crawlers can’t access your site. These show up as DNS failures or crawling drops in Search Console.
• CDN and Firewall Blocking: Tools like Cloudflare Bot Management or AWS WAF Bot Control filter bots by default, but misconfigurations may block good bots like Googlebot. For example, AWS WAF can flag Googlebot traffic if its behavior mimics “bad bot” patterns.

2. 4xx Errors and Redirects

While occasional 404 errors (Not Found) are expected, a pattern of broken pages, unnecessary redirects, or misconfigured links can slow crawlers down and cost you visibility.

Broken Links and 4xx Errors: 4xx errors like 404s waste crawl budget and signal poor maintenance, especially soft 404s, where a page returns a 200 status but shows “not found” content.

Redirect Chains and Loops: Redirect chains and loops also cause friction. Long paths (e.g., A → B → C) force bots to make extra requests and may lead to dropped crawls.

Keep redirects clean and internal links updated to avoid these crawl roadblocks.

How to Audit

• Use tools like Screaming Frog or Ahrefs Site Audit to detect broken internal links, 404s, and redirect chains
• In Google Search Console, check the “Coverage” report for “Not Found (404)” and soft 404 issues
• Review your site’s internal linking structure to eliminate outdated or misdirected links

Regularly auditing and fixing these issues helps preserve your crawl budget, improve user experience, and maintain your site’s search engine visibility.

3. Internal Linking and Site Structure

A strong internal architecture not only helps users navigate your content but also efficiently guides crawlers through it. Even if your page is technically sound, crawlers cannot review it if they cannot find a clear path to it. This becomes especially important when scaling content with approaches like programmatic SEO, where large volumes of similar pages rely on consistent linking structures to be discovered and indexed properly.

• Fixing Broken Internal Links: Broken links within your own site are more than just a UX issue. When bots encounter them, they hit a dead end and may decide to discontinue crawling. This interrupts the flow of discovery and creates missed opportunities for indexing deeper content.
• Orphaned Pages: These are pages that exist on your site but aren’t linked from anywhere else. Without at least one internal link pointing to them, search engines may never find or crawl them.
• Optimizing Site Hierarchy and Crawl Depth: Pages buried several layers deep (e.g., four or more clicks from the homepage) are crawled less frequently. A flatter site structure, with important content linked closer to your homepage, ensures faster and more consistent discovery.
• Managing Redirects in Internal Links: Even if a redirect is in place, linking internally to outdated URLs forces bots to work harder. It’s better to update internal links to the final destination to preserve crawl budget and minimize delays.

4. Log File Analysis

Log file analysis gives you a behind-the-scenes look at how search engine bots interact with your website. Unlike crawl tools that simulate bots, log files show what actually happened, what URLs were crawled, when, how often, and by which bots.

Why It Matters

• Analyzing server logs helps you detect patterns like:
• Bots wasting crawl budget on low-value pages
• Key pages being ignored
• Unusual spikes in crawl errors

Even a brief log review can uncover hidden crawl inefficiencies that no site audit tool will catch.

5. Crawl Budget Optimization

Crawl budget refers to the number of pages search engines are willing to crawl on your site within a given timeframe. While it’s rarely an issue for small sites, larger websites with thousands or millions of URLs must manage it wisely.

It’s also very important for new websites. 

What to Prioritize

• Limit crawl access to low-priority pages like filter combinations, tag archives, or infinite scrolls
• Focus on crawling high-value pages, like product listings, landing pages, and blog content
• Strengthen internal linking to ensure bots can efficiently reach your most important pages

Quick Fixes: Use noindex, canonical tags, or robots.txt to block, de-emphasize duplicate or thin content. And regularly audit your crawl stats to make sure bots are spending time where it matters most.

6. robots.txt Analysis

Your robots.txt file tells search engine bots which pages or directories they should or shouldn’t crawl. However, one wrong directive can unintentionally block critical sections of your site.

Common Issues

• Blocking entire folders like /blog/ or /products/ by mistake
• Using wildcards or disallow rules that are too broad
• Syntax errors that make the file unreadable

Best Practices

• Keep rules scoped and precise (e.g., Disallow: /checkout/ instead of entire directories)
• Never block pages you want crawled
• Test changes using the URL Inspection tool or Google’s robots.txt Tester

A well-optimized robots.txt ensures search engines can access and prioritize your most valuable content while avoiding accidental restrictions that could harm your visibility.

7. XML Sitemaps Audit

An XML sitemap acts as a roadmap for search engines, highlighting the pages you want crawled and indexed. But if it’s outdated or misconfigured, it can do more harm than good.

What to Watch For

• Missing key pages (e.g., new product or blog pages)
• URLs that return 404s or are redirected, or are simply blocked by robots.txt (yes, that happens)

How to Audit

• Make sure all important, indexable pages are included
• Submit your sitemap in Google Search Console and monitor for errors
• Validate the sitemap structure using tools like XML Sitemap Validator, or simply check with GSC’s report.

Keeping your XML sitemap accurate and up to date ensures search engines can efficiently discover and index your most valuable content without confusion or wasted crawl effort.

What Is Indexability?

Once a bot crawls a page, it checks whether the page is allowed to be indexed, and later, the algorithm determines whether it’s worth indexing. Signals like meta tags (noindex), canonical URLs, and robots.txt directives can prevent indexing by design. Simultaneously, even index-eligible pages may be excluded from the search results due to low-quality content or duplicates. 

So, indexability is the ability of a crawled page to be added to and shown in a search engine’s search results.

What Causes Indexability Issues? (and How to Audit)

Even if a page is crawlable, it might not end up in Google’s index. Indexability issues often include configuration errors, duplicate content signals, or low-quality pages. Here’s how to catch and fix them.

1. Noindex Tags and Meta Robots Directives

The noindex directive tells bots not to include a page in search results. While it’s useful for pages like thank-you screens, it’s easy to apply by mistake.

How issues arise:

• Accidentally adding noindex to valuable content
• CMS plugins insert it automatically (e.g., during staging)
• HTTP headers using X-Robots-Tag: noindex

Always review your noindex usage carefully—misplaced directives can quietly remove high-value pages from search results and hurt your organic visibility.

2. Canonical Tags

Canonical tags help prevent duplicate content issues by signaling a page's “preferred” version. But when misused, they can unintentionally deindex useful content.

Common mistakes:

• Pointing to broken or unrelated URLs
• Leaving out self-referencing canonicals (a best practice)
• Creating canonical loops or chains

Properly implemented canonical tags consolidate ranking signals and preserve crawl efficiency, while mistakes can lead to loss of traffic and indexing issues.

3. Identifying Non-Indexed Pages

Occasionally, Google may skip it due to accessibility or content quality issues. Some red flags include:

• robots.txt blocking access to crawlable paths
• Orphaned pages with no internal links
• Duplicate content not handled with canonicals
• Thin or low-quality content with no clear value

Audit Tip: Use Google Search Console’s “Pages” report to filter non-indexed URLs and review reasons like “Duplicate, submitted URL not selected as canonical” or “Crawled – currently not indexed.”

4. XML Sitemaps Audit (Indexability Focus)

Sitemaps guide bots to your most important content, but they only help if they’re accurate.

Audit checklist:

• Include only indexable pages (exclude redirects, noindex, or 404s)
• Validate in Google Search Console for errors and warnings
• Ensure correct last modified dates and priority values (if used)

A clean sitemap reinforces indexing intent and improves crawl efficiency by guiding search engines toward fresh, valuable, and accessible content.

5. Most Common Indexability Issues (Checklist)

Use this quick checklist during audits to spot the usual suspects:

1. Pages mistakenly tagged with noindex
2. Important sections blocked in robots.txt
3. Canonicals pointing to the wrong version
4. Duplicate or near-identical content with no canonical signal
5. Server errors (5xx) are making pages temporarily inaccessible
6. JavaScript rendering issues that hide content from bots

Addressing these issues promptly ensures your valuable pages remain visible in search results and accessible to both users and crawlers.

JavaScript SEO Considerations

JavaScript-powered websites offer dynamic user experiences, but they also introduce challenges for search engine bots. If key content is rendered viaJavaScript and not handled correctly, it may be missed during crawling and indexing.

Googlebot renders JavaScript in two steps: crawling raw HTML first, then rendering scripts. If key content or links appear only after rendering, they may be missed or delayed in indexing.

Some of the best practices for JavaScript SEO include:

• Use server-side rendering (SSR) or dynamic rendering
• Ensure important elements like titles, meta tags, and structured data are included in the raw HTML
• Avoid hiding content or links behind user interactions

Ensuring your website is both crawlable and indexable is foundational to organic growth. With regular audits and a few strategic fixes, you can clear the path for search engines and your audience to find the content that matters most.

SEO Starts with Access: Final Thoughts

Crawlability and indexability are the cornerstones of any successful SEO strategy. Without them, even the most valuable content can go unseen. By routinely auditing your site for technical roadblocks—like misused directives, broken links, or poor internal architecture—you ensure that search engines can find, understand, and rank your pages effectively.

Whether you're managing a large-scale website or fine-tuning a lean content hub, staying proactive with these checks not only preserves visibility but strengthens long-term search performance.

About the Author

Mike Hakob Founder & CEO at Andava Digital

Mike Hakob is a seasoned digital marketing maven with over 15 years of mastery, and the visionary Co-Founder of FormStory. As the driving force behind Andava Digital, he has dedicated his expertise to empowering small to medium-sized businesses, crafting tailor-made websites and pioneering innovative marketing strategies. With a graduate degree in Management of Information Systems, Mike seamlessly blends the realms of technology and marketing, consistently setting new industry benchmarks and championing transformative digital narratives.

See full profile