HTTP Status Codes for SEO: 200, 301, 404, 410, 500 and More

An HTTP status code is the three-digit number a web server returns with every response, telling browsers and search engines whether the request succeeded (2xx), was redirected (3xx), failed because of the request (4xx) or failed because of the server (5xx). For SEO, status codes decide whether a page can be indexed, whether ranking signals move to a new URL and how often Google keeps crawling your site.

Key takeaways: important pages must return 200 · use 301 for permanent moves · return real 404/410 for missing pages, never a "soft 404" · use 503 with Retry-After during maintenance · check URLs in bulk with the HTTP Status Code Checker.

The five classes

Class	Meaning	SEO impact
1xx	Informational	Rarely seen; no impact
2xx	Success	Page can be indexed
3xx	Redirection	Signals move to the target URL
4xx	Client error	Page dropped from the index over time
5xx	Server error	Crawling slows; long outages drop pages

The codes that matter most

200 OK

The page loaded successfully. Every URL you want in search results should return 200 directly — not after a redirect.

301 Moved Permanently and 308 Permanent Redirect

The page has a new permanent address. Signals consolidate on the target. Use them for migrations, HTTPS and changed slugs. Our 301 vs 302 guide covers the details.

302 Found and 307 Temporary Redirect

A temporary move. Google usually keeps the original URL indexed. Fine for short campaigns and tests; a mistake for permanent moves.

304 Not Modified

The resource has not changed since the last visit, so the browser or crawler can use its cached copy. Correct ETag and Last-Modified headers make crawling more efficient.

404 Not Found

The URL does not exist. That is normal for removed content — Google does not penalise sites for having 404s. The problems are internal links pointing to 404s (wasted crawl budget and frustrated users) and valuable backlinks pointing at dead URLs. Redirect those instead.

410 Gone

The page was removed on purpose and will not return. Google treats it almost like a 404 but may drop the URL slightly faster. Useful when cleaning up thousands of thin or expired pages.

Soft 404

Not a real status code: a page that says "not found" (or is nearly empty) but returns 200. Search Console flags these. Return a real 404 or 410, or add genuine content.

403 Forbidden and 401 Unauthorized

Access is denied. If Googlebot gets 403 on public pages — often because of an over-eager firewall or CDN rule — those pages cannot be indexed.

429 Too Many Requests

Rate limiting. Google slows down when it sees 429s. Make sure your bot protection does not throttle real search engine crawlers.

500, 502, 503 and 504

Server-side failures. Occasional errors are harmless; persistent ones reduce crawling and can push pages out of the index. During planned maintenance, return 503 Service Unavailable with a Retry-After header so Google knows to come back later.

How to audit status codes

1. Export your URLs — from your sitemap (the Sitemap Checker lists them), a crawler or analytics.
2. Run them in batches through the Bulk HTTP Status Code Checker. It shows the first response without following redirects.
3. Remove redirected and broken URLs from your sitemap.
4. Update internal links that point to redirects or 404s — the Broken Link Checker finds them page by page.
5. Follow any important redirect to its end with the Redirect Checker.
6. Monitor the "Pages" and "Crawl stats" reports in Google Search Console.

Quick reference

Situation	Return
Page exists	200
Moved for good	301 or 308
Temporarily elsewhere	302 or 307
Deleted, may come back or unsure	404
Deleted permanently	410
Down for maintenance	503 + Retry-After

Frequently asked questions