From 200 to 410: What Every HTTP Status Code Means for SEO
Technical SEO is often about details that most people never see. One of the most important details lives in the responses your server gives back to crawlers and browsers. These are called HTTP status codes. To a normal visitor, they appear as errors or redirects. To a search engine, they are signals that decide whether your pages are crawled, indexed or forgotten. Understanding them is not just for developers. Every SEO should know how these codes work and what they mean in practice.
What are HTTP Status Codes?
Whenever you load a page in your browser or a crawler fetches a URL, the server responds with a three digit code. This code describes the result of the request. Was the page delivered successfully? Was it moved? Did it fail? Status codes are grouped into ranges: 200s for success, 300s for redirection, 400s for client errors and 500s for server errors. Each code has a specific meaning that can influence how search engines treat the page.
Why Status Codes Matter for SEO
Google and other search engines rely on these signals to decide whether a page is worth indexing. A single wrong code can mean a page disappears from search results. Repeated errors across a site can waste crawl budget and damage performance. Redirect chains can dilute link equity. Soft 404s can leave content invisible. Status codes are the language of the web and SEO needs to be fluent in it.
200 Status Codes
The 200 range tells a crawler that the request worked as intended. It is generally what you want your important pages to return.
200 OK
This is the most common status code and the one you want for indexable content. It tells search engines that the page loaded successfully and is available for indexing. Any content you want to rank should return a 200. Avoid accidentally returning 200 on error pages because that confuses search engines and wastes indexation.
204 No Content
This code means the request was successful but the response has no content. It can be useful for APIs but for web pages it is effectively invisible. If a page you want indexed returns 204, it will never appear in search. Make sure only pages that truly should not exist use this code.
300 Status Codes
Redirects tell crawlers that the content has moved. They are essential for site migrations, restructuring URLs and handling duplicate content. However, each type of redirect sends a slightly different message.
301 Moved Permanently
A 301 tells search engines that the content has moved permanently to a new location. It passes the majority of link equity from the old URL to the new one. This is the best option when you want to consolidate URLs or migrate to a new domain. Be careful to avoid redirect chains. Multiple hops can slow down crawlers and dilute equity.
302 Found
A 302 is intended as a temporary redirect. Historically, Google did not pass much link equity through 302s. More recently, Google has said that 302s can pass equity if they persist for a long time. Even so, it is safer to use 301 when the move is permanent. Use 302 when you genuinely intend to bring the old URL back in the future.
307 Temporary Redirect
A 307 is the newer HTTP 1.1 version of a 302. It communicates the same intent: the content has temporarily moved. For SEO it behaves like a 302. Again, use this only when the change is not permanent.
308 Permanent Redirect
A 308 is the HTTP 1.1 version of a 301. It signals a permanent move and preserves the request method. Search engines treat it similarly to a 301. Adoption is less common but growing. For SEO it is safe to use when a permanent redirect is needed.
400 Status Codes
Errors in the 400 range mean the request failed because of something on the client side, usually the URL itself. For search engines, these codes tell them that the requested page does not exist or cannot be accessed.
400 Bad Request
This error indicates the server could not understand the request. It usually comes from malformed URLs. For SEO this is rarely intentional but it can waste crawl budget. Audit logs to ensure crawlers are not hitting bad requests repeatedly.
401 Unauthorised
A 401 means the page requires authentication. Crawlers cannot access it unless credentials are supplied. If you want content to be indexed, do not require authentication. If you want to keep it private, 401 is a safe option.
403 Forbidden
A 403 tells the crawler it is not allowed to access the page. This can happen because of permissions or blocking rules. For SEO, it means the page will not be indexed. Be cautious not to accidentally return 403 on pages that should be visible.
404 Not Found
This is the most familiar error code. It means the page does not exist at the given URL. For SEO it tells search engines to drop the page from the index. 404s are normal when content is removed, but too many broken links can damage user experience and waste crawl budget. Monitor 404s in Google Search Console and fix or redirect where appropriate.
410 Gone
A 410 is similar to a 404 but more explicit. It tells crawlers that the content is gone intentionally and permanently. Search engines may remove the page from their index faster than with a 404. Use 410 when you are certain the content will never return. It is a strong way of cleaning up content that is obsolete.
500 Status Codes
Server errors in the 500 range mean the problem lies on the server side. These errors are particularly damaging if they persist because they suggest the site is unreliable.
500 Internal Server Error
This is a general error when the server fails unexpectedly. Crawlers that encounter 500 errors repeatedly may reduce crawling of the site. For SEO it is important to fix these quickly.
502 Bad Gateway
This occurs when one server acting as a gateway or proxy receives an invalid response. It can appear intermittently during outages. Search engines treat it as a temporary error but repeated issues harm crawling efficiency.
503 Service Unavailable
A 503 signals that the server is temporarily unavailable. It is often used during maintenance. Importantly, it tells search engines to come back later. This is preferable to letting a site go down with 500 errors. Always configure 503 for planned downtime.
504 Gateway Timeout
This means a server did not respond in time. Like 502, it suggests instability. Search engines will retry but if the problem continues, crawling slows down and pages may drop from the index.
Status Codes in Practice
It is one thing to know the codes but another to apply them correctly. For SEO, the priority is making sure every URL returns the right signal.
Pages you want indexed should return 200. Content that has moved should redirect with 301 or 308. Temporary changes should use 302 or 307. Pages that are gone forever can return 410. Errors like 404, 500 or 502 should be monitored and minimised.
Tools like Google Search Console, server logs and crawling software help identify the status codes across your site. Regular audits are essential. Even a few incorrect responses can send mixed signals to search engines and users.
Common SEO Mistakes with Status Codes
There are several pitfalls that sites often fall into.
One is returning 200 for pages that are actually errors, often called soft 404s. This wastes indexation and can fill search results with useless pages. Another is relying on 302s for permanent redirects, leaving search engines uncertain. Redirect chains and loops are another common issue, slowing crawlers and diluting equity. Finally, ignoring 500 errors or serving them repeatedly can make a site look unstable and untrustworthy.
How to Audit and Fix Status Code Issues
Start with Google Search Console. Check the Coverage and Crawl Stats reports. Look for spikes in errors. Next, crawl your site with a tool like Screaming Frog or Sitebulb to see the status codes returned. Compare this with server log analysis to understand what Googlebot is encountering. Prioritise fixing server errors first, then broken redirects and missing pages. For content that truly should be gone, return 410. For duplicate content, consolidate with 301s. Always test changes in a staging environment before pushing live.
Status Codes and Crawl Budget
Crawl budget is the number of pages Google is willing to crawl on your site in a given period. Wasting it on errors or duplicate URLs slows down indexing of important pages. Every unnecessary 404 or redirect consumes crawl resources. By keeping your status codes clean and consistent, you make crawling more efficient and help search engines focus on the content that matters.
Status Codes and User Experience
While much of this discussion focuses on search engines, status codes also affect users. A chain of redirects slows page load. A 404 page without helpful navigation frustrates visitors. A 500 error undermines trust. Optimising status codes is not only about SEO. It is also about making the experience smoother for human beings who arrive on your site.
HTTP status codes may look like cryptic numbers but they are fundamental to how the web works and how search engines understand your site. From the reassuring 200 OK to the finality of 410 Gone, each code tells a story. Mastering them means you control the narrative of your site in search results. Regular audits, careful redirects and clear communication with crawlers ensure that your content is indexed, ranked and discovered by the people who need it.
Technical SEO is about making the invisible visible. Status codes are the heartbeat of the web. When they are healthy, your site thrives. When they fail, search engines notice. Learn them, monitor them and use them wisely. Your rankings depend on it.
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