What is a 200 Status Code?

A 200 Status Code is an HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol) response status code indicating that the request has been successfully processed by the server. This means the server has found the requested resource and is sending it back to the client. It’s the most common HTTP status code, signifying a successful HTTP request.

Why is the 200 status code important?

The importance of the 200 status code lies in its role in indicating successful communication between the client and the server. Here are some key reasons why it’s important:

• Success Indicator: It directly indicates that the web server successfully processed the client’s request and the requested resource is being delivered without any issues.
• User Experience: For users, a 200 status ensures that the web page or resource they requested loads correctly, contributing to a smooth and positive user experience.
• System Monitoring and Debugging: Developers and system administrators use HTTP status codes to diagnose and monitor the health of web applications. A 200 status code helps in confirming that parts of a web application are functioning as intended.
• SEO Optimization: Search engines use crawlers to index web content, and receiving a 200 status code is crucial for a page to be indexed correctly. Pages that return successful status codes are more likely to be indexed and ranked favorably.

SEO Best Practices for HTTP Status Codes

Handling HTTP status codes correctly is vital for SEO as it affects how search engines crawl, index, and rank web pages. Here are some best practices:

• Use 200 Status for Live Content: Ensure that your web pages return a 200 status code when they are live and contain the content that users and search engines expect to see. This encourages search engines to index these pages.
• Implement 301 Redirects for Moved Content: When content is permanently moved to a new URL, use 301 redirects to point to the new location. This preserves search engine rankings by transferring the SEO value from the old URL to the new URL.
• Serve 404 or 410 Status for Deleted Content: If content is removed and there’s no relevant page to redirect to, use a 404 (Not Found) or 410 (Gone) status code. This signals search engines to de-index the page.
• Avoid Soft 404 Errors: A soft 404 occurs when a page displays a ‘not found’ message to users but returns a 200 status code to search engines. This can confuse search engines and should be avoided by correctly returning a 404 status code.
• Monitor Website Health: Regularly use tools like Google Search Console to monitor your website for crawl errors and address any issues with HTTP status codes promptly to maintain and improve your site’s SEO performance.

HTTP Status Codes

Now that we understand what the HTTP protocol is, let’s talk about HTTP status codes. Status codes let us know whether the HTTP request was a success, a failure, or something in between.

Let’s take a look at the five core status codes:

1. 1xx block: informational requests
2. 2xx block: successful requests
3. 3xx block: redirects
4. 4xx block: client errors
5. 5xx block: server errors

Some status codes are more common than others. For example, when you’re doing digital marketing, you’ll often come across multiple status codes like status code 200, status code 301 and status code 404 – but you may never see status code 206 or 307.

Let’s briefly go over each status code block and what they mean.

1xx Status Codes

These are informational requests. The server hasn’t fully completed the request yet and it’s still processing the information. You will not see these codes often. They include:

• 100 – Continue
• 101 – Switching protocol
• 103 – Checkpoints

2xx Status Codes

These are successful requests, which means everything is okay. They include:

• 200 – OK (you will see this one the most)
• 201 – Created
• 202 – Accepted
• 205 – Reset Content
• 206 – Partial Content

3xx Status Codes

These are redirects. These are shown when you request an address, but you are sent somewhere else. These can be good or bad. They include:

• 301 – Moved Permanently
• 302 – Found
• 304 – Not Modified
• 305 – Use Proxy
• 307 – Temporary Redirect

4xx Status Codes

These are client errors like invalid request message framing or deceptive request routing. That means something went wrong with the request (client/user) and not the response (website/server). This also might show ‌request failed. They include:

• 400 – Bad Request
• 401 – Unauthorized
• 403 – Forbidden
• 404 – Not Found
• 408 – Request Timeout
• 410 – Gone
• 429 – Too Many Requests

5xx Status Codes

TThese are server errors. That means something went wrong with the http response (website/server) and not the request (client/user). This error indicates an unexpected condition within the server, leading to an invalid response. They include:

• 500 – Internal Server Error
• 502 – Bad Gateway
• 503 – Service Unavailable
• 504 – Gateway Timeout

Correctly managing HTTP status codes is a fundamental part of maintaining the health of a website and optimizing it for both users and search engines.