You change a service URL, discontinue a product, plan maintenance, or encounter a server error. Each situation requires a different HTTP response.
An HTTP status is a three-digit code the server sends when someone requests a URL. It indicates whether the page is available, has moved, is missing, or cannot be served temporarily. A visitor may see a well-designed page while the server returns the wrong code, so the visible result in a browser is not enough.
The key decision is not which code sounds right. It is what actually happened to the page:
| Business situation | Appropriate HTTP status | What to verify |
|---|---|---|
| The page works normally | 200 | The expected content is returned |
| The URL moved permanently | 301 or 308 | It leads directly to an exact replacement |
| The change is temporary | 302 or 307 | The old URL will remain the primary address |
| The page was deleted with no replacement | 404 or 410 | It has been removed from the sitemap and internal links |
| The site is temporarily unavailable | 503 | The problem is temporary and has an expected end |
| There is an unexpected server failure | 500, 502, or 504 | Which pages are affected and for how long |
The code must match the page's real state. A page that says "This product does not exist" but returns 200 is not a valid active page. An old URL that sends visitors to the homepage without a relevant reason is not a valid move.
The 2xx, 3xx, 4xx, and 5xx groups describe different request outcomes:
A 200 response confirms that the request succeeded, but it does not guarantee that Google will index the page. The content, indexing directives, and selected canonical URL also matter. Robots.txt, noindex, and canonical are covered separately in the guide to controlling search access and indexing.
Google's official documentation explains that content returned with a 2xx code may be considered for indexing, 3xx responses point crawlers to another address, 4xx responses generally indicate unavailable content, and persistent 5xx errors can reduce crawling and eventually cause URLs to leave the index. These are general rules, not a promise of any specific search position.
A permanent move means the old URL will no longer be the primary address and an exact new replacement exists. The usual choice is 301. A 308 also means a permanent move and preserves the request method. For a standard public page, the most important considerations are that the move is permanent and the destination is accurate.
When moving a page, verify all of the following:
Google recommends a server-side redirect when a URL moves and identifies 301 and 308 as permanent redirects. Use 302 or 307 for a temporary move because the old address should remain primary after the change ends. See Google's official redirect guide for details.
Do not automatically redirect every old address to the homepage. The destination should replace the old page in both subject and purpose. If there is no such destination, 404 or 410 is usually the correct response.
Also check for redirect loops, such as URL A sending visitors to URL B while URL B sends them back to URL A. A loop makes the content inaccessible and requires immediate correction.
If a page has been removed and there is no suitable replacement, 404 is a normal response. A 410 response is more specific and indicates that access to the resource was removed and the condition is likely permanent. The HTTP standard prefers 410 when the server knows the absence is permanent. If that is not known, use 404.
For Google, both codes indicate that the content is unavailable. Not every missing page needs a redirect.
After deleting a page:
A well-designed 404 page can offer navigation, search, and a path to important categories. That design helps visitors, but it should not change the status to 200.
When a missing page returns 200, its content and HTTP response contradict each other. Google may classify it as a soft 404. The correction is to return content for a real resource, use an exact redirect for a move, or return 404 or 410 for a deletion.
For planned maintenance or temporary overload, the appropriate response is usually 503 Service Unavailable. It indicates that the server cannot handle the request temporarily.
The server may also send a Retry-After field that suggests when the client can try again. The HTTP standard allows either a date or a number of seconds. This field is useful, but it does not remove the need to end the outage as soon as possible.
Visitors can still see a clear explanation. The important point is that affected URLs return 503, not the same maintenance message with a 200 response. A 200 would say that the temporary maintenance page is the normal content.
After service is restored, check several key URLs and confirm that they return 200 again. A long-running 503 no longer describes brief maintenance and can affect crawling and indexing.
The 500, 502, and 504 codes signal unexpected problems, but they do not identify the exact cause by themselves.
For a business decision, the scope, duration, and recurrence matter most. One brief error and a persistent failure across every product page are not the same risk.
Check:
Google says that 5xx errors temporarily slow crawling. If the errors persist, affected URLs may eventually leave the index. That makes a sitewide 5xx problem more urgent than one old URL returning 404.
A browser often follows a redirect automatically and shows only the final page. A proper check needs to reveal the first response and the full redirect sequence.
You can use:
curl -I to inspect the response headers for one URL.curl -I -L to follow redirects.Google Search Console reflects previous crawls and does not replace a current HTTP check. After a correction, always test the URL itself. For a larger website, also compare the XML sitemap, internal links, and canonical URLs.
Google's official explanation is available in How HTTP Status Codes Affect Google's Crawlers.
Start with problems that block a large part of the website or pages that matter most to the business:
Do not prioritize an issue by the code number alone. Consider the number of affected URLs, their business role, the duration of the problem, and whether one setting creates the issue across the site.
One incorrect redirect can often be fixed directly. When the cause or scope is unclear, the website needs a broader review.
A technical SEO audit and website analysis is appropriate when:
The audit should connect each response code to the page's real state and identify which rules, templates, or settings need to be corrected first.
No. A redirect is appropriate only when there is an exact replacement. Without one, 404 or 410 is more accurate than a redirect to the homepage.
A 404 indicates that the server did not find a current representation of the resource and does not say whether that absence is temporary or permanent. A 410 indicates that access has been removed and the condition is likely permanent.
Use 302 for a temporary move in which the old URL remains primary. Use 301 for a permanent change to a new address.
It can technically, but the signal is wrong. For temporary downtime, return 503 and restore 200 after service resumes.
No. A 200 code indicates a successful HTTP response. Indexing also depends on accessibility, content, indexing directives, and the selected canonical URL.
