Understanding HTTP Status Codes – A Key to Mastering Technical SEO
Imagine if websites could talk and tell you if they’re feeling good or having a bad day. Well, HTTP status codes are kind of like that! They’re like secret messages that websites use to tell search engines (like Google) and us how they’re doing. Let’s find out why these codes are important for anyone who wants to make their website awesome.
HTTP status codes are standardized responses that a web server sends to indicate the status of a requested resource, such as a web page or an API endpoint. These codes are part of the HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol), which is the foundation of data communication for the World Wide Web.
Indexing and Crawling
Search engines are like explorers. They use these codes to figure out which web pages they should look at and remember (we call this ‘indexing’). A ‘200 OK’ code is like a green light, saying “everything’s good here!” But a ‘404 Not Found’ is like a stop sign, telling the explorer there’s nothing to see.
If a website keeps saying “Oops, something’s wrong” with lots of 4XX and 5XX errors, it’s like having a store with broken doors and windows. Search engines and visitors might think it’s not a great place to visit, which isn’t good for the website’s popularity.
2XX – Success
These status codes indicate that the request was successfully received, understood, and accepted.
The most common code in this category is 200 OK, which means that the request was successful and the server is sending the requested data.
3XX – Redirection
These codes indicate that further action needs to be taken by the user agent (such as a web browser) to fulfill the request.
A common example is 301 Moved Permanently, which is used when a resource has been permanently moved to a new URL. The new URL is provided in the response.
4XX – Client Error
These codes signify an error that the client (the user’s browser or device) has made, which prevents the server from processing the request.
The most familiar code here is 404 Not Found, indicating that the server can’t find the requested resource. This often happens when a user tries to access a webpage that doesn’t exist on the server.
5XX – Server Error
These codes indicate that the server failed to fulfill a valid request.
A common example is 500 Internal Server Error, which is a generic error message given when an unexpected condition was encountered by the server, and no more specific message is suitable.
Understanding these codes is essential for web development and troubleshooting, as they provide quick insights into what is happening when a web request doesn’t result in the expected outcome.
| 100 | Continue |
| 101 | Switching protocols |
| 102 | Processing |
| 103 | Early Hints |
| 200 | Success |
| 201 | Created |
| 202 | Accepted |
| 203 | Non-Authoritative Information |
| 204 | No Content |
| 205 | Reset Content |
| 206 | Partial Content |
| 207 | Multi-Status |
| 208 | Already Reported |
| 226 | IM Used |
| 300 | Multiple Choices |
| 301 | Moved Permanently |
| 302 | Found (Previously “Moved Temporarily”) |
| 303 | See Other |
| 304 | Not Modified |
| 305 | Use Proxy |
| 306 | Switch Proxy |
| 307 | Temporary Redirect |
| 308 | Permanent Redirect |
| 400 | Bad Request |
| 401 | Unauthorized |
| 402 | Payment Required |
| 403 | Forbidden |
| 404 | Not Found |
| 405 | Method Not Allowed |
| 406 | Not Acceptable |
| 407 | Proxy Authentication Required |
| 408 | Request Timeout |
| 409 | Conflict |
| 410 | Not Available |
| 411 | Length Required |
| 412 | Precondition Failed |
| 413 | Payload Too Large |
| 414 | URI Too Long |
| 415 | Unsupported Media Type |
| 416 | Range Not Satisfiable |
| 417 | Expectation Failed |
| 418 | I’m a Teapot 🫖 |
| 421 | Misdirected Request |
| 422 | Un processable Entity |
| 423 | Locked |
| 424 | Failed Dependency |
| 425 | Too Early |
| 426 | Upgrade Required |
| 428 | Precondition Required |
| 429 | Too Many Requests |
| 431 | Request Header Fields Too Large |
| 451 | Unavailable For Legal Reasons |
| 500 | Internal Server Error |
| 501 | Not Implemented |
| 502 | Bad Gateway |
| 503 | Service Unavailable |
| 504 | Gateway Timeout |
| 505 | HTTP Version Not Supported |
| 506 | Variant Also Negotiates |
| 507 | Insufficient Storage |
| 508 | Loop Detected |
| 510 | Not Extended |
| 511 | Network Authentication Required |
| 523 | Origin Is Unreachable |
Knowing about HTTP status codes is like having a superpower for your website. It helps you keep the website healthy, friendly, and liked by search engines. So, if you want your website to be the cool kid on the internet block, start learning about these secret codes!
