STTP(Straight to the point), HTTP status and redirection codes are three-digit responses returned by the server at the request of a user. For more clarification, HTTP status codes are the protocol used by clients and servers to communicate/exchange data.
It often becomes hard for novice marketers and business owners to clearly understand HTTP status and redirection codes used in SEO. That’s why we decided to share the list of top HTTP status codes used in SEO.
In this blog, Upreports Infotech – a leading provider of ORM services in India – will share everything about top HTTP status and redirection codes used in SEO. Let’s start!
HTTP Status & Redirection Codes in SEO
Below are the top HTTP status and redirection codes in SEO used by online marketing experts:
HTTP Status Code 200 OK
For those who don’t know about HTTP Status Code 200 OK, it is not an error code. The code 200 OK means everything went ok and the servers return 200 OK code or any code with the 200 range when things are working as intended but the meaning of success depends on the request method used.
200, 201, 202, 203, 204, 205, 206, 207, 208, and 226 come under the list of 200 HTTP status codes.
301 Status Code: Moved permanently
301 status code indicates that a resource has permanently moved to another location. This status code is a valuable tool for sending visitors to relevant content that is available on the site. Marketers can set up this code for pages that are no longer available so that their audience lands on useful content instead of error pages.
301 status code gives search engines the messages to update their index of the pages.
HTTP Status Code 302: Temporarily Redirect
HTTP status code 302 is similar to 301 in that visitors and bots are passed to the new page but link equity may not be passed along. In short, code 302 indicates that a resource has temporarily moved to another location. Online marketing experts don’t suggest using 302 redirects for permanent changes.
Please note that after a significant amount of time, HTTP status code 302 redirects can be treated as 301 redirects by search engines.
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307 Temporarily Redirect
Code 307 offers a more specific redirect method than the 302 codes and has the browser perform redirect instead of the server. It indicates that the resource requested has been temporarily moved to the URL given by the location headers. It is useful for sites served on the HTTPs that are on an HSTS preload list.
Pro tip: Codes 301, 302, and 307 can help marketers optimize SEO by closely controlling search engine crawlers.
HTTP Status Code 404: Not Found
HTTP status code 404 means the file or page that the browser is requesting wasn’t found by the server. It doesn’t indicate whether the missing page or resource is missing permanently or only temporarily. Every site on the search engines will have some pages that return 404 status codes.
You can simply see what it looks like on your site by typing in a URL that doesn’t exist.
HTTP Status Code 410: Gone
HTTP status code 410 is more permanent than status code 404. Code 410 means the page is gone and it becomes invisible from the server with no forwarding address. It is best to remove any references or links that indicate 410 from your content.
In short, any links on your website that are pointing to a 410 page are sending bots and visitors to a dead resource.
HTTP Status Code 500: Internal Server Error
HTTP status code 500 or internal server error is a temporary error that indicates a problem on the web server side. It is a classic server error and will affect access to your site. It is best to investigate these status codes and get them fixed as soon as you encounter them.
HTTP Status Code 503: Service Unavailable
HTTP status code 503 indicates that the server is unavailable. It occurs due to temporarily overloading the server or maintenance of the server. Code 503 informs search engines that processing was stopped on purpose and tells the search engine not to de-index the page.
A 503 status code ensures that the search engines know to come back soon as the site is only going to be down for a short time.
HTTP Status Codes: Wrapup
We hope that the above blog helped you learn everything about HTTP status and redirection codes used in SEO. It is best to partner with a leading provider of SEO services in India to let experts handle HTTP status codes and rank your website on search engines.
Got any queries to ask? Drop them in the comments or email us at hello@upreports.com to get a quick reply from our team of experts.
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