Short answer: An HTTP status code is the three-digit number a server sends with every answer, such as 200 when a request works or 404 when the page isn’t there. For Google, a 200 means the content may be indexed. Redirects send it to another address, 4xx codes keep a page out of the index, and 5xx errors make it crawl more slowly.
The codes Google meets most and what it does with each
| Code | What it means | What Google does |
|---|---|---|
| 200 | The request worked | Considers the content for indexing, with no guarantee |
| 301 or 308 | Moved for good | Follows it, a strong signal to process the new address |
| 302 or 307 | Moved for now | Follows it, a weak signal to process the new address |
| 304 | Nothing changed since the last visit | May recalculate signals, with no other effect on indexing |
| 404 or 410 | Not found, or gone for good | Doesn’t index it, and removes it if it was indexed |
| 429 | Too many requests | Treats it as a server error and crawls more slowly |
| 500 or 503 | The server failed or isn’t ready | Crawls more slowly and drops pages that keep failing |
From Google’s crawling documentation on status codes and MDN’s list of status codes, read November 3, 2026.
The five classes of codes
The first digit gives the class. Codes from 100 to 199 are informational, 200 to 299 mean success, 300 to 399 are redirects, 400 to 499 are client errors and 500 to 599 are server errors.
Google ignores the content of a page that answers with a 4xx or 5xx code. With a redirect, it processes the final address instead.
A page can also answer 200 while it shows an error message. Google calls that a soft 404, and our guide to soft 404 errors explains how to fix one.
How to check the codes your site returns
- Open a page in Chrome, open the developer tools, go to the Network tab and reload to see the status of each request.
- Run the URL Inspection tool in Search Console on the pages that matter most and on the final address of each redirect, since the tool doesn’t follow redirects.
- Check Search Console for errors, which it reports for 4xx and 5xx codes and for failed redirects.
- Make every page that moved answer 301 or 308, straight to its final address.
- Give pages that are gone for good a 404 or a 410.
- If Googlebot overloads your server, answer 503 or 429 for a short time, never 401 or 403.
- Before you trust a visit that says Googlebot, check that its IP belongs to Google.
In our guide to the 301 redirect you’ll see how to set one up and when a 302 fits better.
What Google got from our server
On November 3 we checked our server logs from October 23 on, the way Google suggests: we compared every request that said it came from Googlebot with Google’s published list of crawler IP addresses.
Many of those requests came from addresses that aren’t Google’s, so a count of every visit that says Googlebot isn’t a count of Google’s crawling.
Google’s own requests got a 200 almost every time. The 301s were old addresses we redirect, such as /home/ and /es/contacto/, and the 404s were old images and pages that no longer exist.
When you check your site’s codes
- Live pages answer 200, not a redirect or an error.
- Pages that moved for good answer 301 or 308.
- Temporary moves use 302 or 307.
- Pages that are gone answer 404 or 410.
- Redirects go straight to the final address.
- You checked that “Googlebot” in your logs comes from Google.
RememberGoogle ignores the content of a page that answers with a redirect, a 4xx or a 5xx code. Make each page send the code that matches what it is: 200 if it’s live, 301 if it moved, 404 or 410 if it’s gone.
If you want us to check the codes your site sends, see our technical SEO service.
Quick answers about HTTP status codes
What’s the difference between a 301 and a 302 redirect?
Both send visitors and Google to another address. Google treats a 301 as a strong signal to process the new address and a 302 as a weak one. Use a 301 when a page has moved for good and a 302 only for a temporary move.
What does a 304 status code mean?
It means the page hasn’t changed, so the browser or the crawler can keep using the copy it already has. Google says it may recalculate signals for the page, but the code has no other effect on indexing.
What should my site answer during maintenance?
A 503, which says the server isn’t ready to handle the request. Google slows its crawling and keeps pages that are already indexed for a while, but it drops them if the error goes on.
How many redirects in a row does Google follow?
Googlebot can follow up to 10 hops in a chain of redirects. Google still advises redirecting straight to the final address, or keeping the chain short, ideally no more than 3 hops.
Can a fake Googlebot visit my site?
Yes, spammers can claim to be Googlebot. Check the IP address: Google publishes the IP ranges of its crawlers, and a reverse DNS lookup of a real one ends in googlebot.com, google.com or googleusercontent.com and points back to the same IP.
Sources
Read on November 3, 2026. Google: How HTTP status codes affect Google’s crawlers, Verify requests from Google crawlers and fetchers, Troubleshoot Google Search crawling errors and How to move a site. MDN: HTTP response status codes. Our own case: our server logs from October 23 to November 3, 2026.