HTTP Status Codes for SEO: 200, 301, 302, 404, 410, 503 Explained
A source-backed guide to HTTP status codes for SEO: how search engines treat common statuses, when to use each, and what to watch during migrations.
Status codes are part of the contract between your server and crawlers. Small mistakes can cascade into indexing and traffic issues.
TL;DR (Key takeaways)
- Use 200 for valid pages, 301 for permanent moves, 404/410 for removed pages, and 503 for temporary outages — and document the intent.
- Google provides specific guidance on how Search treats common HTTP status codes. (HTTP status codes for Google Search)
- Status codes must align with canonicals, internal links, and sitemaps — otherwise you create conflicting signals.
What we know (from primary sources)
Google Search Central documents how Googlebot and Google Search treat a range of HTTP response codes and recommends using the correct code for the situation (e.g., returning 404/410 for permanently removed content, using 503 for temporary unavailability). (Google: HTTP status codes)
The statuses that matter most in SEO work
200 OK
A 200 indicates that the content is available. It’s the baseline for pages you want crawled and indexed.
301 Moved Permanently
A 301 is the standard choice for permanent URL changes (migrations, restructures). Pair 301s with updated internal links and updated sitemap URLs so crawlers converge on the destination quickly.
302 Found (temporary redirect)
A 302 is intended for temporary moves. Use it when the original URL is expected to return. If you’re doing a long-term change, a 301 is typically the safer intent signal.
404 Not Found vs 410 Gone
Google’s status code guidance covers both 404 and 410 and how they’re treated for removed content. The operational takeaway is to be consistent: if content is truly gone, return the correct removal code rather than a soft-404 (a “not found” page that returns 200). (Removed pages)
503 Service Unavailable
For temporary outages, Google documents using 503 so crawlers know to come back later rather than treating the outage as a permanent removal. (Temporary unavailability)
Status codes in AI-assisted publishing workflows
When teams use AI to scale pages, the most common failure mode is “too many URLs.” Status codes become a cleanup mechanism: remove low-value pages correctly, redirect truly replaced pages, and keep canonical URLs stable.
If you’re seeing duplication or thin variants, pair cleanup with a content governance process: AI-Assisted Content Workflow.
What’s next (deployment checklist)
- Audit status codes for your top landing pages and templates.
- During migrations, follow Google’s site move guidance. (Site move with URL changes). For a step-by-step internal checklist, see Site migration SEO checklist.
- Keep sitemaps updated to only include final destination URLs. (Sitemaps). See XML sitemaps for large sites.
- Validate representative URLs via Search Console URL Inspection. (URL Inspection)
Why it matters
Status codes are a foundational SEO control because they shape how crawlers allocate crawl budget and how indexing systems interpret URL changes. Clean status code behavior supports a clean index — and a clean index supports better visibility for the pages you want humans and AI systems to discover.