When CrawlWP cannot submit a URL to Google, Bing, Yandex, or an IndexNow destination, the reason is recorded in the Log. The useful part is not just the error code: the SE, Status, and Message columns together tell you which service failed and what to check next.
Start with the indexing log
- Go to CrawlWP > Settings.
- Open the Log tab at the top.
- Find the failed entries marked with a red dot in the Level column.
For each failed entry, note these three fields:
| Column | What to look at |
|---|---|
| SE | The service that received the request, such as google-webmaster or bing-index-now |
| Status | The status code CrawlWP recorded, such as 403 or 429 |
| Message | The explanation returned by the service, when one is available |
The log does not include the post URL on an error row. Use the Date column to match the error with the post that was published or updated around that time.
For a complete explanation of the log columns and entries, see Reading the indexing submission log.
Know what happens after a 400-level error
CrawlWP temporarily stops sending requests to a service when it receives a status in the 400 range, such as 403 or 429. The pause depends on the service:
| Service | Pause after a 400-level error |
|---|---|
IndexNow (bing-index-now, index-now, yandex-index-now, seznam-index-now, naver-index-now) | 3 hours |
Google, Bing and Yandex APIs (google-webmaster, bing-webmaster, yandex-webmaster) | 6 hours |
During the pause, CrawlWP does not send or log requests for that service. Fixing the cause does not immediately resume submissions. URLs published while the pause is active are not submitted automatically after the pause ends, so submit those URLs manually when the service becomes available again. See Bulk submitting posts for indexing.
Statuses of 500 or higher are server-side errors returned by the service. CrawlWP does not start a pause for those. In that situation, try the submission again later.
Status 0 or no useful error message
A status of 0, or an entry with an empty message, generally means the request did not reach the service or the service returned nothing that CrawlWP could use. Common causes include:
- Your server cannot make the required outgoing connection, or a firewall blocks it.
- The request timed out.
- A security plugin is blocking outgoing requests.
Ask your hosting provider whether the site can connect to the relevant service address. Examples include www.bing.com for IndexNow, ssl.bing.com for the Bing API, and indexing.googleapis.com for Google.
There are two special cases in the log: a google-webmaster connection failure is recorded as status 400 with the error text and starts the 6-hour pause, while a yandex-webmaster connection failure appears as “Unknown error”.
Troubleshoot IndexNow errors
IndexNow entries use an SE value ending in index-now. Use the status and message to narrow down the problem.
| Status | Meaning | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| 400 | The request is invalid | Check that your site address under Settings > General is correct. |
| 403 | The IndexNow key could not be confirmed | Open https://your-site.com/{key}.txt using your actual key. It should contain the key and nothing else. If it returns a 404 page, choose any permalink option except Plain under Settings > Permalinks. Also check that a firewall is not blocking the address. |
| 422 | The submitted address does not belong to your site, or the key does not match | Check WordPress Address and Site Address under Settings > General. They should match the address visitors use, including https:// and www when applicable. |
| 429 | Too many requests were sent | Wait for the rate limit to clear. If it happens repeatedly, choose a different engine under Search Engine in the IndexNow settings. |
A status of 202 is not a failure. It means the engine accepted the URL and is still checking your key. This is normal when a key is new.
For more about IndexNow and the participating services, see What IndexNow is and which engines use it.
Troubleshoot Google Indexing API errors
Google API entries have google-webmaster in the SE column. The correct fix depends on what the message says.
| Status | Look for | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| 403 | “Permission denied. Failed to verify the URL ownership.” | Add the service account’s email address as an Owner of the site in Google Search Console. The address ends in iam.gserviceaccount.com and is stored as client_email in your JSON key. Full user access is not enough. |
| 403 | A message saying the Indexing API has not been used in the project or is disabled | Enable the Web Search Indexing API in the Google Cloud project associated with the JSON key. Wait a few minutes before trying the submission again. |
| 429 | The quota has been exceeded | The day’s submission quota has been used. See Google Indexing API daily quotas and what happens when you hit them. |
| 400 | Another message about the key or token | CrawlWP could not use the JSON key, or your server could not reach Google. The key may have been deleted in Google Cloud or copied incompletely. Create a new key and paste it under CrawlWP > Settings > API Settings > Google API. |
In CrawlWP Premium, google-webmaster entries that end with a post or term ID come from index-status checks rather than submissions. Entries without an ID can also come from the SEO Stats page. For those entries, check that the service account has access to your site in Search Console.
Troubleshoot Bing API errors
Bing API entries use bing-webmaster in the SE column. The message is returned by Bing Webmaster Tools, so follow what the message reports.
- The message mentions the API key: compare the key entered under CrawlWP > Settings > API Settings with the key in Bing Webmaster Tools.
- The message mentions a quota: you have reached Bing’s daily limit for the site. Bing Webmaster Tools shows the limit. IndexNow submissions to Bing do not use this API quota.
- The site is not verified: verify the site in Bing Webmaster Tools before submitting through the Bing API.
Troubleshoot Yandex API errors
Yandex API entries use yandex-webmaster in the SE column.
- The message mentions the token: the Yandex connection may have expired or been revoked. Connect it again under CrawlWP > Settings > API Settings.
- The message says “Unknown error”: Yandex did not provide a reason. Check that the site has been added and verified in Yandex Webmaster, then try again later.
Retry the submission after fixing the problem
Once the underlying problem is fixed, remember that CrawlWP may still be in its temporary pause.
- Wait for the pause to finish: 3 hours after a 400-level IndexNow error, or 6 hours after a 400-level error from the Google, Bing, or Yandex APIs.
- Open the post and use Submit for Indexing on the Advanced tab of the CrawlWP SEO box.
- Return to the Log tab and check the new entry. A green dot with status 200 or 202 means the submission was accepted.
The Submit for Indexing button is available on the Advanced tab while CrawlWP’s SEO features are enabled. See My meta title isn’t showing in Google for information about enabling those features.
An accepted status such as 200 does not mean that the page is already indexed. It only means that the service received the URL. See Understanding index statuses, including Likely Indexed.
When the log itself is the problem
There are no errors, but nothing is being logged. CrawlWP may have decided not to send the URL, or the relevant service may currently be paused. See the “What is not logged” section in Reading the indexing submission log.
The log is empty. Go to CrawlWP > Settings > Indexing > Logs and make sure Enable is switched on. Entries older than the Lifetime setting are removed; the default is 7 days.
The same error keeps returning. Copy the complete text from the Message column, along with the SE and Status values. Those details make it easier to look up the service’s documentation or report the problem to CrawlWP support.
Read the error before retrying
Most indexing failures are easier to diagnose once you identify the service. Use SE to determine whether you are dealing with IndexNow, Google, Bing, or Yandex, then use Status and Message to determine whether the problem is a key, permission, quota, connection, or rate limit issue.
Also remember that a temporary pause can outlast the fix itself. Once the pause has ended, submit affected URLs again and use the Log to confirm that the service accepted them.