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1Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems2Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches3Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsGoogle’s October 6, 2026 update to its crawl-rate guidance clarifies where to find instructions for urgently slowing Googlebot: for a short-lived emergency, a site can return 500, 503, or 429 instead of 200, and include a Retry-After header with a 503 or 429. The header support itself is not new; Google says the change makes the existing advice easier to find and understand. Google’s changelog describes the documentation change.
What changed in Google’s crawl-rate documentation?
Google reorganized its emergency crawl-reduction guidance and added examples showing how to use Retry-After with 503 and 429 responses. Google says support for the header already appeared in its guidance for temporarily pausing or disabling a website; the October 6, 2026 change brings the examples into the crawl-rate guide.
This is a clarification to documentation, not an announcement of new Googlebot behavior. The examples explain an existing HTTP mechanism in the context of a short-term crawl emergency.
How can you slow Googlebot temporarily?
Google’s current crawl-rate guidance recommends first finding out why crawling is creating a problem. If urgent relief is needed for a short period—such as a few hours or one to two days—the site can return 500, 503, or 429 to crawl requests rather than returning 200.
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With 503 or 429, the server can also send Retry-After to indicate when a crawler may try again. Google’s page gives these examples:
Retry-After: 120— a delay of 120 seconds after the response.Retry-After: Wed, 21 Oct 2026 07:28:00 GMT— an absolute date and time in UTC.
These are documentation examples, not a prescribed delay or a performance result. The HTTP standard, RFC 9110, defines the field value as either an HTTP-date or a number of seconds to delay after receiving the response.
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What happens to crawling when you return errors?
The reduction can affect the whole hostname
Google says a significant number of 500, 503, or 429 responses reduces crawling across the hostname, including URLs that are still returning content normally. As the number of errors declines, Google’s crawl rate automatically begins to increase again.
Search freshness and visibility can suffer
Lower crawling can mean fewer new pages are discovered, existing pages are refreshed less often, and changes such as updated prices or availability take longer to appear in Search. If a page has been removed from the site, it may also remain indexed longer.
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Do not use error responses as an ongoing crawl throttle. Google does not recommend this approach for longer than one to two days. Its crawling-errors troubleshooting guide says Googlebot retries affected URLs for about two days; if the same URLs continue returning 503 or 429 for more than two days, they may be dropped from Search’s index. Restore normal responses once the immediate pressure has eased.
Google Ads may be affected too
Google’s crawl-rate guide also warns that Google Ads campaigns may be canceled or paused and ads may stop serving when the site returns these errors.
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What should you investigate before using error responses?
Google’s crawler uses algorithms to choose a rate intended to retrieve pages without overwhelming a site’s servers. If crawling is causing critical infrastructure load or unwanted outage costs, diagnose the cause and address it where possible:
- Review recent server access logs and check with your hosting provider about capacity and support.
- Look for URL patterns that generate many crawlable pages without adding much value, including faceted navigation and calendar URLs.
- Check whether Dynamic Search Ads targets are contributing to the requests.
- If serving capacity is the constraint, consider whether additional resources are needed.
When these errors are not feasible, Google’s guide describes an exceptional request to reduce crawl rate. Specify the site’s optimal rate; evaluation and fulfillment may take several days. Google says site owners cannot request an increase to the crawl rate.
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Choosing between the emergency options
| Option | When it fits | Important trade-off |
|---|---|---|
Return 500, 503, or 429 to crawl requests |
Urgent, temporary relief is needed and the site can serve these responses. | A significant number of errors can reduce crawling across the hostname, affecting healthy URLs as well as the URLs returning errors. |
Add Retry-After to a 503 or 429 |
You want to indicate when a crawler may retry, using a delay in seconds or an absolute UTC date and time. | It does not make prolonged errors safe; the emergency response should still be brief. |
| Submit an exceptional crawl-rate request | Returning errors is not a workable option. | Google says evaluation and fulfillment may take several days, and the request is for a reduction—not an increase. |
| Fix the cause of excess load | URL generation, configuration, or serving capacity is driving the problem. | Unlike a temporary signal, this addresses the underlying source of load; the appropriate fix depends on what logs and hosting review reveal. |
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