By Shad Super in Questions —

How Do Non-200 Status Codes Affect Google's Ability to Crawl and Index Webpages?

Summary

Non-200 status codes, such as 404 or 500, can significantly impact Google's ability to crawl and index webpages. These status codes indicate unsuccessful or problematic attempts to retrieve a webpage, leading to potential exclusion from indexing and affecting SEO performance. Understanding and managing these status codes is crucial for maintaining effective website visibility on search engines.

Understanding HTTP Status Codes

HTTP status codes are issued by a server in response to a client’s request made to the server. They are part of the HTTP standard, which is used for web communication. These codes help to indicate whether a specific HTTP request has been successfully completed. While a 200 status code represents a successful request, other status codes can signal issues.

Common Non-200 Status Codes

  • 404 Not Found: This error indicates that the server cannot find the requested resource. Commonly occurs when a URL is mistyped or a page is moved or deleted without a redirect.
  • 301/302 Redirects: These are not errors but indicate that the requested resource has been permanently or temporarily moved to a different URL.
  • 500 Internal Server Error: This is a generic error message indicating that the server encountered an unexpected condition that prevented it from fulfilling the request.
  • 403 Forbidden: Indicates that the server understood the request but refuses to authorize it.

Impact on Crawling and Indexing

404 Not Found

When Googlebot encounters a 404 error, it generally won’t index the page since it indicates that the page does not exist. Consistent 404 errors might suggest poor website maintenance, impacting the site’s overall ranking [HTTP Status Codes, 2023].

301/302 Redirects

301 redirects permanently transfer link equity to the new URL and are beneficial when permanently moving pages. However, using 302 redirects temporarily can lead to indexing issues because Google may not pass link equity [Redirection, 2023].

500 Internal Server Error

If Googlebot encounters a 500 error, it may stop crawling that particular page and might not index it. Persistent server errors can reduce the crawl rate of the site as a whole [Crawl Errors, 2023].

403 Forbidden

Googlebot cannot access pages with a 403 status unless permissions are corrected. This can lead to indexing challenges as these pages won't be crawled under current server settings [HTTP Status Codes, 2023].

Best Practices for Managing Status Codes

Regular Monitoring

Use tools like Google Search Console to monitor your site’s status codes and fix broken links or server issues promptly [Google Search Console, 2023].

Implement Redirects Properly

Use 301 redirects for permanently moved or deleted content to ensure link equity passes to the new page. Avoid using excessive 302 redirects [301 Redirects, 2023].

Fix Server Errors

Address any 500 errors by reviewing server logs and configurations. This might involve updating server software or resolving resource limits [Fix 500 Errors, 2023].

Ensure Proper Permissions

For 403 errors, adjust server permissions to ensure that Googlebot can crawl and index the intended pages [HTTP Status Codes, 2023].

References