TECHNICAL · SEO GLOSSARY
HTTP Status Codes (SEO)
The three-digit codes returned by a web server in response to a request, indicating whether the request succeeded, was redirected, or failed. The most SEO-relevant status codes: 200 (OK, index), 301 (permanent redirect — passes link equity), 302 (temporary redirect — less link equity), 404 (not found), 410 (gone), 500 (server error).
Definition
HTTP status codes indicate the result of a server request. Key codes for SEO: **200 OK** — the page exists and should be indexed (assuming no noindex directive). **301 Moved Permanently** — the resource has permanently moved to a new URL. Googlebot follows the redirect and eventually transfers link equity and ranking signals to the new URL. Use for all permanent URL changes. **302 Found** — temporary redirect. Googlebot follows but may not transfer link equity or update the indexed URL as quickly as a 301. Use only for genuine temporary redirects. **304 Not Modified** — response to a conditional GET; the cached version is current. Not SEO-relevant in most cases. **404 Not Found** — the resource doesn\'t exist. Googlebot drops the URL from its index after repeated 404 responses. Appropriate for deleted content with no relevant destination. **410 Gone** — permanent 404; the resource has been intentionally removed. Google may deindex 410 pages faster than 404 pages. **429 Too Many Requests** — server rate-limiting. May indicate Googlebot is being throttled, slowing crawl coverage. **500 Internal Server Error** — server-side error. Googlebot will retry and eventually drop the URL if the 500 persists. **503 Service Unavailable** — typically used during maintenance with a `Retry-After` header; Googlebot will retry rather than dropping the URL.
Why it matters for SEO
Incorrect status codes are a direct SEO harm: 302 instead of 301 on permanent redirects means delayed or partial link equity transfer; 500 errors on key pages means those pages can\'t be crawled or indexed; unexpected 404s on pages with backlinks means lost link equity. A full site crawl identifies all non-200 responses, allowing targeted fixes before they accumulate into ranking problems.
How DeepSEOAnalysis checks this
The audit records the HTTP status code for every URL encountered during crawl — both internal links followed and external links sampled. Non-200 responses are categorised: 3xx redirects (301 vs 302, chain length), 4xx client errors (broken links on the crawled site), 5xx server errors (server reliability issues). All are prioritised for fix action.
Useful tools and resources
GLOSSARY
Related terms
technical
Redirect Chain
A series of redirects where URL A → URL B → URL C instead of directly to the final destination — wastes crawl budget and dilutes link equity.
Read definition →technical
Crawl Budget
The number of pages Googlebot will crawl on a site within a given timeframe — determined by crawl rate limit and crawl demand.
Read definition →technical
Technical SEO
The discipline of optimising a website\'s infrastructure — crawlability, indexability, site speed, structured data, and security — so that search engines can discover, render, and understand pages correctly.
Read definition →technical
Soft 404
A page that returns HTTP 200 OK but displays "page not found" or otherwise empty/unhelpful content — Google treats these as wasted crawl budget and may deindex them.
Read definition →technical
Noindex
A directive that tells search engines not to include a page in their index — implemented via a meta tag or HTTP header.
Read definition →See how your site scores on HTTP Status Codes (SEO).
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