Within this article, we are going đồ sộ talk about an incredibly common error found within Google Search Console, the Blocked Due đồ sộ Access Forbidden (403) error.
We are going đồ sộ talk about what the error actually is, what causes the error đồ sộ appear in Google Search Console, where đồ sộ find any impacted pages within your GSC dashboard and, of course, how đồ sộ fix the pages that the error is appearing on.
The Blocked Due đồ sộ Access Forbidden (403) error within Google Search Console indicates that Googlebot has tried đồ sộ crawl a URL on your trang web but was denied access đồ sộ that URL. This means that when Googlebot tried đồ sộ crawl the URL, it was greeted with a 403 Forbidden HTTP status code, signalling đồ sộ the crawler that it does not have permission đồ sộ access the nội dung.
There are several reasons why this error occurs, which we will dive into in the next section of the article, but it could be down đồ sộ specific rules on your site or server-level restrictions.
Image Credit: https://support.google.com/
What Causes the Blocked Due đồ sộ Access Forbidden (403) Error in Google Search Console?
There are a multitude of things that can cause you đồ sộ get a Blocked Due đồ sộ Access Forbidden (403) error within your Google Search Console trương mục. Below, we’ll dive into some of the main causes and a little about what they mean.
Robots.txt Disallowance
Perhaps one of the main reasons for seeing a Blocked Due đồ sộ Access Forbidden (403) error within your Google Search Console trương mục is down đồ sộ your site’s robots.txt tệp tin.
Within your robots.txt tệp tin, you might have rules that actually disallow Googlebot (or other user-agents) from accessing certain URLs or directories within your trang web. As discussed above, if Googlebot cannot access a URL on a trang web, it is very likely đồ sộ throw this error.
Server-Level Restrictions
You might also be seeing this error down đồ sộ your server settings.
Your website’s server might be configured đồ sộ block certain IP addresses. This is primarily done for trang web security reasons. But if your server is restricting any IP addresses that Googlebot uses, this is going đồ sộ throw a 403 error đồ sộ Googlebot and cause it đồ sộ show this error for your URL or URLs.
Authentication Requirements
Of course, some parts of your trang web may require login details. Googlebot, obviously, does not have these login credentials and sánh cannot access URLs behind these walls. To Googlebot, then, they cannot access (and are forbidden from accessing) this URL, sánh they are going đồ sộ throw this error into GSC.
Content Management System (CMS) Settings
Some CMS platforms such as WordPress, may have built-in settings or plugins that block tìm kiếm engine crawlers from accessing specific parts of a trang web. If this is happening with your CMS, you may find that this is causing Googlebot đồ sộ throw this error your way within your Google Search Console dashboard.
Misconfigured .htaccess File
If your trang web is using an Apache server, there may be the possibility that you are using incorrect rules within your .htaccess tệp tin that might result in Googlebot being denied access đồ sộ some of your website’s URLs.
Bandwidth Limitations
If you are using certain hosting providers, especially hosting providers that operate at a lower cost point đồ sộ you and your trang web, you might find that these providers block certain requests, including those from Googlebot, if they exceed any bandwidth limits that they have mix as a company.
This is especially likely đồ sộ happen if you are using a shared hosting provider, or your trang web experiences a sudden uptick in trang web traffic for whatever reason.
Geographic Restrictions
You may find that your server blocks requests from certain geographic locations. This can inadvertently block Googlebot if it is crawling from one of those regions that your server has blocked.
Manual Block
Someone managing your trang web, such as a webmaster or SEO professional, may have intentionally blocked tìm kiếm engine bots from accessing certain parts of your trang web. If this happens, Googlebot (and, of course, other tìm kiếm engine bots) will throw these Access Forbidden errors your way and you will have đồ sộ decide whether these pages need đồ sộ be blocking tìm kiếm engine bots or not.
How đồ sộ Find Impacted Pages in Google Search Console
Finding out which pages (if any) are impacted by this error is very easy within Google Search Console. Below we’ll list out a step-by-step guide on how đồ sộ access a list of pages that have been impacted and need looking at by your webmaster or SEO executive.
As your first step, head đồ sộ your Google Search Console dashboard and click on the “Pages” links underneath the “Indexing” section on the left-hand side toolbar:
You’ll then be greeted with your Page Indexing Report, it will look something lượt thích this:
Once here, you can scroll down on your Page Indexing Report and you will be greeted with a list of all the indexing issues Google Search Console has identified for your trang web.
Please note that this list will be different for every trang web as not all websites will have the same indexing issues.
The list will look something lượt thích this:
Once here, you may see a links that contains the error message Blocked Due đồ sộ Access Forbidden (403):
Image Credit: https://www.onely.com/
From here, you can investigate these URLs individually and decide if they need đồ sộ be fixed or not, and then work on fiixng them if the error is harming your SEO.
How đồ sộ Fix Any Blocked Due đồ sộ Access Forbidden (403) Errors Appearing in Google Search Console
Luckily, fixing this issue within Google Search Console is relatively straightforward for SEO professionals and webmasters alike.
Firstly, you will need đồ sộ find out the reason Googlebot is being blocked from certain pages on your site. Check your website’s .htaccess tệp tin, server configuration files, and any security plugins or firewalls you have in place. Look for any rules that are explicitly blocking Google’s crawlers. You should also ensure that the affected URLs are not disallowed by your robots.txt tệp tin.
Once you have identified the cause, correct the configuration that is blocking access. If it’s a .htaccess or server configuration issue, you need đồ sộ adjust the rules đồ sộ allow Googlebot đồ sộ access the impacted URLs. If it’s due đồ sộ a plugin, or any particular setting on your website’s firewall, you may need đồ sộ update the settings within those tools đồ sộ whitelist Google’s crawler.
Always be cautious when making these changes. It’s important đồ sộ maintain site security whilst also allowing tìm kiếm engines đồ sộ crawl your trang web.
Lastly, once you have made any needed changes, you can inspect your URLs within Google Search Console đồ sộ ensure Googlebot can crawl and index your URLs without issue. Monitor your GSC dashboard for a few days đồ sộ ensure that the 403 erors tự not reappear. If errors persist, you may need đồ sộ conduct a more thorough review of your site’s settings, or consult with your trang web development team or server help team.
Should All Pages Impacted by Access Forbidden (403) Errors be Fixed và Indexed?
Whether you want đồ sộ fix 403 errors or not should be based on the nội dung and intended accessibility of those pages.
For pages that are meant đồ sộ be public and are valuable đồ sộ users, fixing these errors is a must đồ sộ allow Googlebot đồ sộ crawl, index and rank them.
If pages are intentionally restricted because they contain sensitive, private, or nội dung that is reserved for special access, these 403 errors are serving their indended purpose as they are not supposed đồ sộ be indexed. Additionally, these URLs should be disallowed in your website’s robots.rxt tệp tin đồ sộ prevent tìm kiếm engines from attempting đồ sộ crawl them.
Summing Up
In conclusion, the Blocked Due đồ sộ Access Forbidden (403) Error in Google Search Console is a common hurdle that, in some cases, can hinder a website’s SEO performance by preventing Googlebot from accessing and indexing crucial IRLs.
Addressing this error involves a careful examination of various potential causes. Anything from server configurations đồ sộ CMS settings. Fixing this issue requires a precise approach đồ sộ modify the settings that are blocking Googlebot, ensuring that the solution meets the dual needs of accessibility for tìm kiếm engines and security for the trang web.
Whilst resolving these errors is critical for public-facing pages đồ sộ ensure their visibility in tìm kiếm results, it is equally important đồ sộ recognise when such blocks are intentional for private and restricted nội dung.
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