HTTP status codes: what 200, 301, 404, and 500 mean for SEO
Understand the status codes that matter most for crawlability, indexing, and user experience.
2026-03-02
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1 min read
HTTP status codes are three-digit numbers your server returns to tell a browser (or crawler) what happened with a request.
They matter for SEO because they directly affect crawlability and indexing.
The status code families
- 2xx: Success (200 = OK)
- 3xx: Redirection (301 = moved permanently, 302 = found)
- 4xx: Client errors (404 = not found, 403 = forbidden)
- 5xx: Server errors (500 = internal server error, 503 = service unavailable)
Crawlers react differently to each family.
Status codes you should care about most
- 200 OK: the page loads normally (ideal)
- 301 Moved Permanently: use this for permanent URL changes
- 302 Found: temporary redirect; use sparingly
- 404 Not Found: page doesn’t exist; keep an eye on broken links
- 410 Gone: page is permanently removed; stronger signal than 404
- 500 Internal Server Error: server broke; fix immediately
- 503 Service Unavailable: server is down temporarily; retry later
How to check status codes
Use our Link Checker to scan your site for broken links and status issues. Or check individual URLs in the browser dev tools.
Soft 404s are a special case: they return 200 OK but show error content. These confuse crawlers. Use our Soft 404 Detection tool to find them.
Link back to the glossary
Quick glossary entry: HTTP status codes.