Indexing Win #10: Server Error (5xx) (Crawl Stability Checklist)
If Google sees 5xx errors, crawling slows down. Here’s the checklist to stabilize crawl and get indexing back on track.
5xx server errors tell Google your site is unstable. When Google hits repeated 5xx responses, it may slow crawling—which can delay indexing across the site.
Common causes
- Origin server overload or timeouts.
- Misconfigured caching/CDN behavior.
- Application errors during rendering or database calls.
- Rate limits or WAF rules blocking Googlebot.
Fix checklist
- Identify affected templates (specific sections or URL patterns).
- Stabilize performance (caching, database optimization, reduce heavy scripts).
- Validate fetches from multiple locations (not just your browser).
- Confirm Googlebot access (logs/WAF rules).
After stability: improve crawl paths
Once the server is stable, internal links help Google prioritize the pages you care about most.
Execute internal linking improvements
Linkbot helps you build stronger crawl paths with contextual internal links—so indexing performance compounds over time.