Story Based Question
You’ve been running a small business website for a while now, and recently, you noticed that some of your web pages aren’t appearing in search results. After a quick check, you find that certain pages are showing error codes when you try to visit them. You wonder what these codes mean and how they could be impacting your SEO efforts. What are the most common HTTP status codes, and how do they affect your website’s SEO?
Exact Answer
Common HTTP status codes include:
- 200 (OK): The page is found and accessible.
- 301 (Moved Permanently): The page has been permanently moved to a new URL.
- 404 (Not Found): The page does not exist.
- 500 (Internal Server Error): There’s a problem with the server hosting the website.
These status codes can impact SEO by affecting how search engines crawl, index, and rank pages on your website.
Explanation
HTTP status codes are returned by a web server to inform both users and search engine bots about the status of a requested page. These codes are crucial for SEO because they determine whether search engine bots can crawl and index a page correctly. Here’s how the most common status codes impact your website:
- 200 (OK):
The 200 status code is the best case scenario. It means that the page is accessible and functioning correctly. When a search engine bot receives a 200 OK status, it knows the page is valid and can be indexed. This is essential for SEO because only properly indexed pages have the chance to rank in search results. - 301 (Moved Permanently):
A 301 redirect means that a page has permanently moved to a new URL. This is a crucial status code for SEO when you need to redirect traffic and link equity from old URLs to new ones. Search engines treat a 301 redirect as a signal to transfer the page’s ranking power to the new URL. This ensures that any backlinks and ranking factors from the old page aren’t lost. - 404 (Not Found):
A 404 error occurs when a page is not found on the server. This typically happens when a page has been deleted or the URL has been mistyped. While a few 404 errors won’t harm your SEO much, if many important pages on your site return a 404, search engines may stop crawling them, and users may bounce off. It’s important to monitor and fix 404 errors by either redirecting to relevant pages or updating internal links. - 500 (Internal Server Error):
A 500 error indicates that there’s a problem with the server itself, preventing the page from loading. This type of error can significantly harm SEO if it happens frequently, as search engine bots may be unable to crawl your site during the downtime. If bots encounter a 500 error too often, they may decide to stop crawling the site altogether, impacting your visibility in search results. - 503 (Service Unavailable):
Similar to 500, the 503 status code means the server is temporarily unavailable (perhaps due to maintenance). Although temporary, it still prevents search engines from crawling the page. Search engines usually retry later, but consistent 503 errors can slow down indexing and cause drops in rankings if the downtime is prolonged.
Example
Let’s say you’ve been running a blog focused on healthy recipes, and you’ve made some changes to your website’s structure. Over time, you’ve encountered a few common HTTP status codes that impact your SEO.
- 301 Redirect:
You decided to change the URL structure of your recipe pages to make them more organized. For example,example.com/old-recipeis nowexample.com/healthy-recipes/old-recipe. Instead of leaving the old URL broken, you set up a 301 redirect from the old URL to the new one. This ensures that any link equity from backlinks pointing to the old URL is transferred to the new page, preserving its ranking power. - 404 Error:
However, you deleted an old blog post about a recipe that’s no longer relevant. Unfortunately, you forgot to remove an internal link to that page from your homepage. When search engines try to crawl it, they get a 404 error, and users who click the link also encounter a dead page. You quickly fix this by updating your homepage link to point to a live page instead. - 500 Error:
A few weeks later, your server experiences some issues, and your site is down for several hours, causing multiple 500 errors. During this downtime, search engine bots can’t access your pages, and your traffic takes a hit. To prevent this from happening in the future, you work with your hosting provider to ensure your site’s uptime improves.
By paying attention to these HTTP status codes and fixing any errors, you can help ensure that search engines and users have a smooth experience on your site, improving your chances of ranking well.
Understanding HTTP status codes is vital for SEO. A 200 OK means your pages are healthy, while 301 redirects help maintain ranking power, and 404 errors need to be fixed quickly to avoid lost traffic. 500 errors can significantly hurt SEO, as they prevent search engines from crawling your site. Regular monitoring and fixing these issues will help keep your website in top shape for search engines and users.