When your visitors land on your website, they may often be prompted by 404, 500, or 301 messages. These are called HTTP status codes. Typically, these codes do not hold much importance to your visitors, except when they show an error because they can impact the user experience. However, search engines often use these codes to assess the health of your website. In this blog, we will understand what is an HTTP status code and what it means for search engine optimization.
An HTTP status code is defined as the server’s response to a web browser’s request. Upon visiting a site, the web browser will send a request to the server where the website is hosted. The server responds to this request using a 3-digit code. This is known as the HTTP status code.
When someone types your website address in the URL or uses a search engine to visit the site, the web browser will send a request to the website’s server to get the right web page. The server then responds to the request through a status code that is embedded in an HTTP header. This tells the result of the request to the browser. An HTTP 200 code, along with the website content, is sent to the browser when everything is fine.
But when there is some kind of problem with the server or the requested content, it will show an error code that can help you detect the issue. For instance, a 404 error page shows in case a page cannot be found. For temporary technical issues with the server, you can get back a 500 Internet Server Error.
Understanding these HTTP status codes can help diagnose errors in your website quickly and reduce downtime. Some of these codes also help influence how users and search engines access your website. For instance, a 301 redirect tells users and search engines that the web page has moved elsewhere permanently. Hence, these are vital tools in determining the health of your website as well as the server.
For every website owner and SEO professional, it is crucial to evaluate the HTTP response status codes that have an impact on search engine optimization. For instance, if your website is showing too many 5xx errors, it is important to bring to the notice of your top management that there are persistent server issues. On the other hand, 4xx errors can impact your visitor experience. So, you should take effective steps to address the problems with your deleted pages or URLs.
Here are the most important HTTP status codes that can help improve SEO or negatively impact it:
This is the ideal status code you should aim for, indicating the optimal functioning of the page. Search engine bots, link equity, and website visitors are likely to have a seamless experience on the page.
This status code implies that when search engine bots and visitors land on your page, they will be redirected to a new URL. This can be done for temporary as well as permanent changes. However, for permanent redirects (301 code), the search engine crawler will even pass the hard-earned link juice to the redirected page. But this may not happen in case of temporary redirects, i.e., 302 codes. This is because even Google considers 301 as a preferred choice for permanent page redirects.
404 is one of the most important HTTP status codes that can affect your SEO – because it directly impacts the visitor’s experience on your site. To avoid this, the best practice is to use 301 redirects to take the search engine crawler and users to the most relevant page.
This indicates a problem with the website’s server and can also affect your SEO. Since search engines want well-maintained sites, you must investigate this status code and resolve it at the earliest possible.
While HTTP status codes might seem daunting and confusing at first, they can be extremely helpful in understanding how your website or the server performs. Detect potential problems and troubleshoot them to ensure improved user experience and SEO results.
AryoZone is an international company specialized in offering dependable and result-oriented SEO services, Online Marketing Solutions, Ecommerce Solutions, and Social Media Marketing solutions. With our in-house experts holding Ph.D. in their concerned areas from renowned universities in the USA, we help our clients take their online business to a whole new level.
Our SEO package includes services ranging from Google Analytics, Google Map & Citation Management, On-Page, and Off-page optimization, Backlink Building, Ghostwriting, and more. Give your website a whole new identity with our custom web development solutions. Promote your business on the right platform with our Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn Marketing, along with several other social media marketing solutions. We also cover the needs of the e-commerce sector from end to end with our specialized ecommerce solutions.
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