Screaming Frog and Sitebulb issues explained
What the common Screaming Frog issues and Sitebulb hints mean in plain English, which ones matter, and how to confirm and fix each one.
Indexing and canonicals
Canonical links, robots rules, redirects and the server HTML vs rendered page differences that decide what search engines index.
Guides
Alternate page with proper canonical tag and duplicate statuses, explained
What Search Console's canonical statuses mean, which ones need action, and how to check whether Google picked the right page.
Crawled and Discovered, currently not indexed: what to do
Why Search Console lists a page as crawled or discovered but not indexed, when to worry, and how to rule out page-level causes.
301 vs 302 redirects: which one to use
A 301 says a page has moved for good and a 302 says the move is temporary. How Google treats each, when to use them, and how to check yours.
Too many redirects: how to find and fix a redirect loop
What ERR_TOO_MANY_REDIRECTS means on your own site, the usual causes, how to trace the loop with curl, and how to fix it.
Noindex, meta robots and X-Robots-Tag: how to check what a page tells Google
A page can say noindex in three places, and the strictest one wins. How to check them all by hand, what each directive does, and how to fix conflicts.
JavaScript SEO: how to check the server HTML matches what renders
Google runs JavaScript, but many AI crawlers don't. How to compare a page's server HTML with the rendered page, and what's safe to set with JavaScript.
Canonical tags: how to check one is working
A canonical tag names the main version of a page, but it only works if it points at a real, indexable page. How to check a canonical by hand, and fix it.
Meta refresh redirects: what Google does with them, and what to use instead
A meta refresh redirects or reloads a page from the HTML. How Google treats instant and delayed ones, why a server redirect is better, and how to find them.
robots.txt: how to check what's blocked, and when blocking backfires
How robots.txt Disallow rules match, why a page blocked by robots.txt can still show in Google, why blocking CSS and JS backfires, and how to test a URL.
Every indexing and canonicals check SEOSnip runs 17
The canonical link points to an invalid address
Search engines may ignore a canonical link they can't read, so they can pick the wrong version of the page.
How to fix
FixPoint the canonical link at the full, correct web address of this page.
For developersSet the
<link rel="canonical"> href to a valid absolute URL for the preferred version of the page.The page doesn't say which version is the main one
Without a canonical link, search engines have to guess which address to show when several lead to the same page.
How to fix
FixAdd a canonical link that points to the preferred address of this page.
For developersAdd
<link rel="canonical" href="https://..."> to the head with the absolute preferred URL.The page names more than one main version
Several canonical links can contradict each other, so search engines may ignore all of them.
How to fix
FixKeep one canonical link and remove the others.
For developersLeave a single
<link rel="canonical"> in the head; check whether a plugin and the template both add one.The page gives conflicting instructions to search engines
Contradictory instructions, such as index and noindex together, mean search engines may not treat the page as intended.
How to fix
FixMake the instructions agree, so the page is either allowed or blocked, not both.
For developersReconcile the meta robots directives and any X-Robots-Tag header; remove contradictory values.
Crawlers that skip JavaScript see different page details
Google usually runs JavaScript, but most AI crawlers don't, so they see a generic or missing title, description or canonical.
How to fix
FixMake sure each page's own title, description and canonical are in the page before any scripts run.
For developersRender the page's own
<title>, meta description and rel=canonical in the server HTML, not only via JavaScript.The page redirects or reloads itself with a timer
Timed refreshes pass search signals less reliably than server redirects and interrupt visitors.
How to fix
FixUse a proper server redirect instead, or remove the automatic reload.
For developersReplace
<meta http-equiv="refresh"> with a 301 redirect, or remove it.The page's code and server name different main versions
When the HTML and the server headers disagree, search engines may ignore both.
How to fix
FixName the same main address in both places, or only in one.
For developersMake the
<link rel="canonical"> and the Link: rel="canonical" response header the same URL, or drop one.The page tells search engines to index a different page
This address is unlikely to appear in search results while its canonical points elsewhere.
How to fix
FixCheck this is intended; if this page should rank, point its canonical at itself.
For developersSet the canonical to this page's own absolute URL unless it is a deliberate duplicate.
The page and server give different indexing instructions
Search engines follow the stricter instruction, which may hide pages the team wants found.
How to fix
FixSet indexing instructions in one place, or make both say the same.
For developersAlign the robots meta tag with the X-Robots-Tag response header, or remove one of them.
The page asks search engines not to show it
A noindex instruction keeps the page out of search results entirely.
How to fix
FixCheck this is intended; remove the instruction if the page should be found.
For developersRemove noindex from the robots meta tag or X-Robots-Tag header if the page should be indexed.
The page asks search engines not to follow its links
Nofollow stops the page passing value to the pages it links to and can slow their discovery.
How to fix
FixCheck this is intended; remove the instruction if not.
For developersRemove nofollow from the robots meta tag or X-Robots-Tag header.
Search engines are told not to crawl this page
Google can't read a blocked page, so its content can't rank and it may show in results with no description.
How to fix
FixUnblock the page if it should be found; use a noindex instruction instead to keep it out.
For developersRemove or narrow the robots.txt Disallow rule that matches this URL for Googlebot.
Search engines can't load files this page needs
Google renders pages with their scripts, styles and images; blocked files can make it see a broken page.
How to fix
FixLet search engines load the page's scripts, styles and images.
For developersRemove the robots.txt Disallow rules that block the page's JS, CSS and image paths for Googlebot.
The page's main version is an error page
Search engines ignore a canonical that leads to an error and choose the main version themselves.
How to fix
FixPoint the canonical at the working version of this page.
For developersSet the canonical to a URL that returns 200 and is indexable.
The page's main version redirects elsewhere
A canonical should name the final address; one that redirects sends mixed signals.
How to fix
FixPoint the canonical at the address it ends up on.
For developersChange the canonical href to the redirect's final URL.
The page's main version asks not to be indexed
The page defers to a version that hides itself, so neither may appear in search.
How to fix
FixMake the main version indexable, or point the canonical at one that is.
For developersRemove noindex from the canonical target, or change the canonical to an indexable URL.
The page's main version points to yet another page
Search engines may not follow a chain of canonicals, so the intended main version can be lost.
How to fix
FixPoint the canonical straight at the final main version.
For developersSet the canonical to the URL the target's own canonical names.
Find these issues on any page
SEOSnip checks the page in your browser, compares the server HTML with the rendered page, and turns each issue into a ticket with the evidence attached.