Why it matters
Status codes are how a server tells browsers and search engines what happened: found, moved, gone or broken. Getting them wrong costs traffic: a deleted page that returns 200 ('soft 404'), or a temporary 302 left in place of a permanent 301.
This reference explains each code for people who build and run websites rather than for protocol engineers, with the SEO effect and the usual fix alongside.
How it works
- InputA number or a word like redirect
- In your browserSearched in RFC-sourced data
- OutputWhat each code means, what it does to search, and a Markdown table
Where it fits in a designer's workflow
- Plan
- Design
- Build
- Test
- Launch
By the numbers
Show the numbers as a table
| Class | Codes |
|---|---|
| 1xx | 3 |
| 2xx | 5 |
| 3xx | 6 |
| 4xx | 25 |
| 5xx | 8 |
How to use it
- Type a number or a word, such as redirect or timeout.
- Narrow it down by group, or show only the SEO-relevant codes.
- Read the meaning, SEO effect and fix.
- Download the list as Markdown for your documentation.
FAQ
301 or 302 for a moved page?
301 (or 308) if the move is permanent; Google moves the ranking to the new address. 302 and 307 are for temporary moves.
404 or 410 for a deleted page?
Both drop out of search. 410 Gone is slightly faster and says it's deliberate; 404 is fine for most sites.
What does 503 do to my rankings?
A short 503 with a Retry-After header is the right way to do maintenance. Google waits and comes back. Days of 503s can lead to pages being dropped.
How do I check a page's status?
Open your browser's developer tools, choose Network and reload. Or use Google Search Console's URL Inspection.
