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How to read an HTTP status code
The first digit identifies the broad response class: 2xx means success, 3xx redirection, 4xx client error, and 5xx server error. The detailed code adds more specific meaning. These definitions come from RFC 9110, the HTTP Semantics specification published in June 2022; MDN’s status-code reference provides an accessible overview.
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A maintenance tool observes a response to one request, made with a particular method, headers, credentials, and network path. If its result differs from what you see in a browser, compare those request conditions before concluding the site is behaving inconsistently. A code alone does not establish whether every page, feature, or workflow works.
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The request succeeded. What that means depends on the request method: for GET, the resource is fetched and sent in the response; for HEAD, representation headers are returned without a message body. A checker can label that request successful, but 200 does not prove that forms, scripts, related APIs, or the whole site are healthy.
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For search, Google explicitly says that a 2xx response does not guarantee a page will be indexed. The response code and search outcome are different measures; see Google Search Central’s explanation of how HTTP status codes affect its crawlers.
What does HTTP 301 Moved Permanently mean?
A 301 says the requested resource has a new permanent URI. Check the response’s Location field to see the destination, then follow the redirect chain to determine where it ends. A checker that reports only the initial 301 has not established whether the final destination responds successfully.
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Google follows 301 redirects and treats them as a strong signal that the target should be processed, but that does not promise an immediate ranking or indexing result. The search-specific behavior is described in Google Search Central’s status-code guidance.
Why the request method matters
For an ordinary page-view GET, the redirect usually takes the visitor to the new address. For POST requests, 301 and 302 can result in the request being redirected as GET under prevailing practice. If preserving the method and request body matters, 307 (temporary) and 308 (permanent) make that behavior unambiguous. This distinction can matter for forms and API requests. MDN explains the differences in its HTTP redirection guide.
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Why am I getting a 403 Forbidden error?
A 403 means the server understood the request but refuses to fulfill it. The code does not reveal the precise reason: the refusal may involve permissions, an access policy, a network rule, or another restriction. It does not by itself mean the page was deleted or that a password is wrong.
This differs from 401, which is an authentication challenge. A server may also return 404 instead of 403 to hide a resource’s existence from an unauthorized client. So the status is evidence of a refusal for that request, not a full explanation of the site’s access rules. See RFC 9110 and MDN’s status-code reference.
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What causes a 500 Internal Server Error?
A 500 means the server encountered an unexpected condition that prevented it from fulfilling the request, and could not provide a more specific 5xx response. It identifies a server-side failure response for that request; it does not identify a particular bug, hosting outage, or database fault.
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To investigate, match the request details and time of the response against application and server logs. The status code is a starting point for diagnosis, not the diagnosis itself. Google says its crawler reduces crawl rate after receiving a 500; that describes Google’s behavior, not every crawler’s policy or an immediate deindexing rule. See Google Search Central’s crawler guidance.
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How the four codes differ
| Code | Class and meaning | What to check | Does the code identify the cause? |
|---|---|---|---|
| 200 OK | 2xx success: the request succeeded. | For GET, the response contains the fetched resource; for HEAD, it contains headers without a message body. | No. It does not establish that other site features work or that a page will be indexed. |
| 301 Moved Permanently | 3xx redirection: the resource has a new permanent URI. | Inspect the Location destination and follow the chain to its final response. |
No. It names the redirection, not whether the destination or the wider site is healthy. |
| 403 Forbidden | 4xx client error: the server refuses to fulfill the understood request. | Check the request’s identity, permissions, and applicable access restrictions. | No. The status does not say which permission or policy caused the refusal. |
| 500 Internal Server Error | 5xx server error: an unexpected condition prevented the server from fulfilling the request. | Use request details and application or server logs to investigate. | No. It does not specify the underlying failure. |
What to do when a tool’s result is unexpected
- Confirm what was requested. Check the URL and method, such as GET, HEAD, or POST; method differences can change what a response means.
- Compare request conditions. Check headers, credentials, and network path against the browser or other tool that produced a different result.
- For a 301, inspect the destination. Read the
Locationvalue and follow every hop to the final response. - For a 403 or 500, investigate the relevant evidence. For 403, examine access conditions; for 500, correlate the request and time with application and server logs. Neither code alone names its root cause.
- Separate response status from broader outcomes. A 200 does not establish that the full site works or that Google will index a page, and Google’s documented reaction to 500 should not be applied to every crawler.
For the protocol definitions, consult RFC 9110. For an accessible code reference and redirect explanations, see MDN’s status-code reference and MDN’s redirection guide.
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