Fix DNS Resolution Errors and Improve Your Website's Crawlability

Discover the impact of DNS resolution errors on your website's search engine ranking and learn actionable steps to improve crawlability and optimize your SEO.

DNS resolution errors are a common but often overlooked technical SEO issue that can significantly impact your website's visibility in search results.

These errors can prevent search engine crawlers from accessing your website, leading to poor indexing and reduced traffic.

Fortunately, there are effective solutions to fix DNS resolution errors and ensure that your site is easily crawled and indexed by Google.

"DNS resolution describes whether Google encountered DNS issues when crawling your site. DNS error rates are problematic if they exceed a baseline value for that day. -Google Search Console

In this post, we'll provide a step-by-step guide to identify, diagnose, and resolve DNS resolution problems, empowering you to optimize your website's crawlability and boost your SEO.

You're right, DNS resolution errors can significantly impact search engine crawlability. Here's a breakdown of acceptable ratios, causes, and solutions:

Acceptable DNS Resolution Error Rate:

There's no single magic number, but generally:

• Less than 1% is considered excellent.
• 1-5% is acceptable, but you should investigate potential causes.
• The above 5% is concerning and can significantly hinder crawling.

Causes of DNS Resolution Errors:

• Incorrect DNS Configuration: Double-check that your domain name is correctly pointed to your web server's IP address.
• DNS Server Issues: Your DNS provider might be experiencing outages or slowness.
• DNS Cache Poisoning: Malicious actors can interfere with DNS resolution, especially outdated DNS records.
• Firewall or Security Settings: Your firewall or security software might block DNS requests from Google's crawlers.
• Incorrect Time Zone Settings: If your server's time zone is incorrect, it can disrupt DNS resolution.
• CNAME Chaining (Deep Nesting): Excessive CNAME nesting can slow down DNS resolution.

How to Overcome DNS Resolution Problems for Efficient Search Crawlability:

1. Verify DNS Configuration:
   • Use a DNS Lookup Tool: Tools like DNS or MXToolbox can help you verify your DNS settings are correct.
   • Check Your Registrar: Log in to your domain registrar (GoDaddy, Namecheap, etc.) and double-check that your DNS records pointed to the right IP address.
2. Check for DNS Server Issues:
   • Contact Your DNS Provider: Reach out to your DNS provider (Cloudflare, Google Domains, etc.) to see if they're experiencing any outages or performance issues.
   • Consider a Different DNS Provider: If you're consistently experiencing issues, it might be time to switch to a more reliable provider.
3. Secure Your DNS:
   • Enable DNSSEC: DNS Security Extensions (DNSSEC) help to prevent DNS cache poisoning.
   • Use a Content Delivery Network (CDN): CDNs can help to improve DNS performance and reliability by caching your website's content closer to users.
4. Review Firewall/Security Settings:
   • Whitelist Google's IP Addresses: Ensure Google's crawler IPs (available on their website) are allowed through your firewall or security software.
5. Correct Time Zone Settings:
   • Configure Your Server Time Zone: Make sure your server's time zone is correctly set to avoid inconsistencies.
6. Minimize CNAME Chaining:
   • Use A Records Where Possible: Avoid using CNAMEs unnecessarily, especially for your primary domain name.
7. Monitor DNS Resolution:
   • Use Google Search Console: Search Console provides insights into your site's crawlability, including any DNS resolution errors.
   • Use Third-Party Tools: Tools like SEMrush or Ahrefs can help you monitor DNS resolution and other technical SEO factors.
8. Optimize for DNS Performance:
   • Use a Fast DNS Provider: Choose a provider with a proven track record for speed and reliability.
   • Configure DNS Records for Speed: Use techniques like TTL (Time To Live) optimization to minimize the time for DNS requests to be resolved.
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By addressing DNS resolution errors, you'll improve your site's crawlability and ensure that Google can efficiently index your content.

Don't let DNS resolution errors hold your website back! By implementing the strategies discussed in this post, you can achieve a more robust DNS setup, improve your website's crawlability, and ultimately enhance your SEO performance.

Furthermore, if there are issues with DNSs that are downgrading SEO Performances, shout us. We are always with you.

Thank you

Momenul Ahmad

MomenulAhmad: Helping businesses, brands, and professionals with ethical SEO and digital Marketing. Digital Marketing Writer, Digital Marketing Blog (Founding) Owner at SEOSiri, SEO Copywriter (Remote) at Octoparse - Octopus Data Inc, SE Ranking AI Writer Reviewer, Web Writer at Washington MORNING, CMO at Organic Agri Pro, Web Developer and Digital Marketing Strategist at nazrulsangeet.com a parental concern of Sangeet Bidya Bithi, (Gopalpur Shishu Shikkha Niketon), Pabna.

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