Every page on the internet has a 'status code' that the server returns when someone requests it. That code tells you whether everything is working.
The most important status codes
- 200: all good, the page loads normally. This is what you want to see.
- 301 / 302: the page has moved and the browser is redirected. Fine, as long as it was set up for a reason.
- 404: page not found. The URL does not exist (anymore). Visitors see an error message.
- 500 / 502 / 503: server error. Something is going wrong on your hosting side. A serious problem.
Why does this matter for Google?
Google can only show pages in its search results that actually load. A 404 or 500 means: no indexing, no ranking, no visitors. If your whole site temporarily returns a 500 error just as Google drops by, you lose your positions until Google comes back and sees that it works again.
What can go wrong?
- The server is not running (a hosting problem)
- Wrong .htaccess or routing settings
- A broken plugin or theme (WordPress)
- The domain name is not connected properly
- An expired SSL certificate (you then get a certificate error)
What can you do?
For a 404 on a specific page: check whether the URL still exists and, if needed, set up a 301 redirect to the new location. For 500 errors: call your hosting provider straight away. For ongoing monitoring: use a free tool like UptimeRobot, which warns you as soon as your site goes down.