Server Response Codes

What is Server Response Codes?

In the SEO industry, server response codes play a crucial role in determining how search engines interpret and index a website. These codes, ranging from 1xx to 5xx, offer insights into whether a page request was successful, redirected, or encountered an error. For instance, a 200 code means the page loaded successfully, while a 404 indicates the page was not found. Understanding these codes helps SEO professionals troubleshoot issues that might affect a site's search ranking and user experience. Search engines like Google use these codes to decide whether a page should be indexed, de-indexed, or flagged for potential issues. Therefore, monitoring and addressing server response codes is essential for maintaining a website's SEO health.

Server response codes are numerical codes returned by a web server to indicate the status of a requested resource.

Examples

200 OK: This code means the server successfully returned the requested resource. For example, when a user visits www.example.com, and the page loads without any issues, a 200 OK response is sent.

301 Moved Permanently: This code indicates that the requested resource has been permanently moved to a new URL. For instance, if www.oldsite.com is permanently redirected to www.newsite.com, a 301 response is returned, helping preserve SEO value during the transition.

Additional Information

4xx Client Errors: These errors indicate issues with the client's request. A common example is 404 Not Found, which negatively impacts SEO if search engines encounter broken links.

5xx Server Errors: These errors signify server-side issues, such as 500 Internal Server Error, which can disrupt user experience and harm a site's rankings if not promptly addressed.

References

HTTP Status Codes and SEO: what you need to know - Conductor

An SEO's Guide to HTTP Status Codes (An Infographic) - Moz

What are HTTP Status Codes? List Of Important Status Codes