Understanding HTTP Status Codes and Their Impact on SEO

HTTP status codes are a critical part of your website's health and SEO. These three-digit numbers are sent by your web server to inform browsers and search engines about the status of a webpage. When properly managed, they can enhance your site's visibility and ranking on search engines. However, if not handled well, they can lead to penalties or loss of traffic.

What Are HTTP Status Codes?

When you visit a website, your browser sends a request to the server hosting that site. In return, the server sends back a response, which contains a status code. These codes provide information about the request's success or failure.

There are several categories of status codes. They all begin with a different number, and each category has a unique purpose. For SEO, it’s essential to understand these codes to avoid common issues that can harm your search rankings.

Why Do HTTP Status Codes Matter in SEO?

Search engines like Google use HTTP status codes to understand how to crawl and index your website. If a search engine encounters errors like 404 (Not Found) or 500 (Internal Server Error), it can’t index the page, which negatively impacts SEO. On the other hand, correctly configured status codes can help ensure your pages are indexed and ranked properly.

The Role of HTTP Status Codes in SEO

HTTP status codes directly affect search engine crawling. If a code signals that a page is broken or unavailable, search engines won’t be able to index it. Furthermore, poor status codes can create a negative user experience, which search engines take into account when ranking pages.

Common HTTP Status Codes and Their Meaning

200 OK

The 200 OK code means everything is working as expected. The page loaded successfully without any issues, and this is the status code you want to see for pages you want to be indexed by search engines.

SEO Impact:
The 200 OK status code has no negative impact on SEO, as it tells search engines the page is accessible and functioning.

301 Moved Permanently

A 301 status code is a permanent redirect. It tells the browser and search engine that the page has been permanently moved to a new URL.

SEO Impact:
This is one of the most important codes for SEO because it helps transfer link equity (the value that search engines place on backlinks) from the old page to the new one. When implemented correctly, it ensures that SEO rankings and traffic are maintained even after URL changes.

302 Found (Temporary Redirect)

A 302 redirect indicates that the page has temporarily moved to a new URL. Unlike a 301, it doesn’t pass full link equity to the new URL. This redirect is useful for temporary page changes or maintenance.

SEO Impact:
Google might not pass all the ranking signals from the old URL to the new one with a 302 redirect. It's important to only use this when the page's change is temporary.

304 Not Modified

This code tells the browser that the page hasn’t been modified since the last time it was accessed. The browser can load the page from cache without needing to request it again.

SEO Impact:
While this code is generally good for site speed and user experience, it doesn’t directly affect SEO. It ensures that users don’t waste time loading pages they’ve already visited, improving the overall site performance.

400 Bad Request

A 400 error occurs when there’s something wrong with the request the browser is making. It could be due to a malformed URL or incorrect input.

SEO Impact:
A 400 error doesn’t happen often, but if it does, search engines will likely ignore the page and not index it. It’s crucial to fix this error quickly.

401 Unauthorized

This status code indicates that a page requires login credentials or other forms of authorization to be accessed.

SEO Impact:
Search engines cannot access pages that require authentication, so they won’t index these pages. To make sure your content is indexed, ensure that pages are publicly accessible or allow search engines to crawl them.

403 Forbidden

The 403 error happens when the server blocks access to the page. This might be because of server configurations or permissions settings.

SEO Impact:
When Google encounters a 403 error, it cannot index the page, which can affect SEO. This code should be resolved quickly, especially if the page is important for your website's ranking.

404 Not Found

The 404 error indicates that the requested page does not exist. This often happens when a page is deleted or the URL is mistyped.

SEO Impact:
Having too many 404 errors on your site can negatively impact SEO because search engines may interpret it as poor site maintenance. It's important to address broken links and either restore or redirect pages that no longer exist.

410 Gone

A 410 error is similar to a 404, but it tells search engines that the page is gone permanently and won’t be coming back.

SEO Impact:
Unlike a 404, a 410 error immediately signals to search engines to remove the page from their index. If you intentionally removed a page, using a 410 can speed up the de-indexing process.

500 Internal Server Error

A 500 error indicates that there is a problem with the server, preventing the page from loading. This could be due to issues with server software, configurations, or other technical failures.

SEO Impact:
When Googlebot encounters a 500 error, it can’t access the page, which means it won’t index the page. Frequent 500 errors can severely affect your SEO rankings, so they should be fixed as soon as possible.

502 Bad Gateway

This code happens when a server acting as a gateway or proxy receives an invalid response from an upstream server. It's a common error when there are issues with your server or hosting provider.

SEO Impact:
Frequent 502 errors can block search engines from crawling your site. Fixing this error is essential to avoid losing traffic and rankings.

503 Service Unavailable

A 503 error means that the server is temporarily unavailable, usually due to maintenance or overload.

SEO Impact:
If used for short periods, the 503 code doesn’t hurt SEO. However, if it lasts too long, it can cause search engines to stop crawling your site, which may result in ranking drops.

504 Gateway Timeout

The 504 error occurs when one server, acting as a gateway or proxy, times out while waiting for a response from another server.

SEO Impact:
Like the 502 error, the 504 can prevent Googlebot from crawling your pages. If it happens regularly, it can cause issues for your site’s SEO.

507 Insufficient Storage

This error indicates that the server has run out of storage, preventing it from completing the request.

SEO Impact:
This issue can prevent pages from loading or being crawled, which can negatively affect your SEO if not addressed promptly.

508 Loop Detected

A 508 error happens when there is a redirect loop, meaning a page redirects to itself or to other pages in a cycle.

SEO Impact:
Redirect loops confuse search engines and prevent pages from being indexed. This can be a major SEO issue that needs to be fixed immediately.

How to Monitor and Fix HTTP Status Code Errors

Using Google Search Console

Google Search Console provides a great way to monitor your website's status codes. Under the “Coverage” section, you can find detailed information about which pages are having issues. You can see errors like 404s, 500s, and more.

Using SEO Tools like Screaming Frog and Ahrefs

Screaming Frog is an SEO spider tool that crawls your website and reports back with a list of all the HTTP status codes. Ahrefs and SEMrush also offer similar services, allowing you to track errors and fix them efficiently.

Regular Site Audits

Regular audits are essential to ensure your site is free from broken links and errors. By auditing your site periodically, you can quickly identify and fix status code issues before they harm your SEO.

Best Practices for Handling HTTP Status Codes

• Fix broken links: Use 301 redirects to point to relevant pages.

• Monitor server health: Regularly check server logs to ensure there are no recurring 500 or 503 errors.

• Optimize redirects: Avoid redirect chains and loops, as they can harm user experience and SEO.

• Remove or redirect 404 pages: Use 301 redirects or a custom 410 for deleted pages.

• Allow search engine crawlers: Ensure no important content is behind a 401 or 403 code unless necessary.

Conclusion

HTTP status codes are a vital part of your SEO strategy. Properly managing them can help improve your site’s crawlability, indexing, and ultimately, its search engine rankings. Regularly monitoring and fixing status code errors ensures that search engines can access your site and that users have a smooth experience.

By keeping your site free of unnecessary redirects, errors, and server issues, you'll maintain a healthy website that ranks well in search results.