About HTTP Status Codes & Server Responses
Common Response Categories
Responses are grouped into five classes: 1xx (Informational), 2xx (Success), 3xx (Redirection), 4xx (Client Error), and 5xx (Server Error). Understanding these categories is the first step in troubleshooting connectivity and permission issues.
Impact on Search Engines
Search engine crawlers rely on status codes to index your site. A 404 Not Found indicates a broken link, while a 301 Permanent Redirect tells the crawler to pass authority to a new URL. Consistently monitoring for 500 Internal Server Errors is crucial for maintaining a healthy, crawlable website.