Skip to content
Free Indian Tools

SEO · Free tool

HTTP Status Code Decoder

Quick lookup of HTTP status codes with the SEO impact spelled out — what Google does with the code, when to use which.

301 Moved Permanently

Meaning: URL has moved to the Location header URL.

SEO impact: Transfers nearly all link equity to the new URL. Use for permanent moves.

The three codes that matter most

301 for permanent moves — transfers link equity. 410 for permanently deleted content — gets dropped faster than 404. 503 for planned maintenance with a Retry-After header — preserves index briefly without penalty. Knowing these three covers most production SEO scenarios.

404 vs 410

A 404 says "not found, might come back". A 410 says "gone permanently, do not retry". Google honours the distinction: 410 URLs drop from the index faster, which matters when you're cleaning up after a content migration. Pair this with the redirect chain visualiser to catch hidden 30x chains that bleed link equity. The status-by-status walkthrough lives in 301 vs 302 vs 307 — when to use which.

Operational tips

  • Don't soft-404 (returning 200 for missing content) — Google flags it in Search Console.
  • Use 503 + Retry-After for planned downtime, not 500.
  • 301 is the workhorse — 308 is the modern equivalent that preserves HTTP method.
  • Persistent 5xx errors are the fastest way to lose pages from the index.

FAQ

Is 302 bad for SEO?

Not bad, but specific. Use 302 only for genuinely temporary redirects. For permanent moves, 301 transfers link equity faster and clearer. Long-running 302s eventually get treated as 301s by Google but cost discovery time.

What does a 410 mean vs 404?

404 = "not found, might come back". 410 = "gone permanently, do not retry". 410 tells Google to drop the URL from the index faster. Use 410 for deleted content you have no plans to restore.

How does Google handle 5xx errors?

Google retries briefly. If 5xx persists, Google treats it like a soft removal - pages drop from the index but return quickly when the site recovers. Sustained 5xx errors damage crawl budget; investigate and fix promptly.