What are the HTTP Status Codes?
HTTP status codes are like short notes or messages that come from the server every time your browser interacts with it, to let you know how things went when the server receives a request to view a certain page. Most of the time, you can’t see these messages especially if the requests are responded to smoothly. However, if you are a developer or an owner of a website, understanding HTTP status codes, especially the ones corresponding to errors is very crucial.
HTTP status codes help users and developers in determining whether the website they are viewing or maintaining is functioning properly and can be accessed quickly. Though some of these HTTP status code issues appear to be trivial, knowing what these responses imply and how to resolve them is critical if you’re a website developer or a site owner. Any errors on your website must be corrected as soon as possible. If customers experience issues with your page, they are unlikely to return.
Some HTTP Codes are important to know off the top of your head for On Page SEO purposes because some of them can have a significant affect on your Google rankings. For example, 301 redirects & 404 errors can often play a big part in rankings just like SEO meta tags, domain names, or a web page’s H tags can.
HTTP Status Code Classes
- 100s — Informational codes indicating that the browser’s request is received and still being processed.
- 200s — 2XX Success Codes — This class of status codes indicates that the client’s request was received, understood, and accepted.
- 300s — 3XX Redirect Codes — This class of status code indicates that the client must complete the request by taking more steps. Redirection codes are returned when a new resource has been substituted for the requested resource.
- 400s — 4XX Client Error Codes — Client error codes indicating that there was a problem with the request.
- 500s — 5XX Server Error Codes — A response status code that begins with the digit “5”, means that the server is aware that it has encountered an error or is otherwise unable to fulfill the request
What are the Successful HTTP Status Codes?
The 2XX status codes are the successful HTTP status codes.
See also: Canonical Tag Proper Usage