Server response codes (200, 301, 404, 500, etc.) that tell browsers and crawlers whether a page request was successful.
HTTP status codes are three-digit server response codes that communicate the outcome of a browser or crawler's request for a web page. These codes tell search engines whether they can successfully access, crawl, and index your content, making them fundamental to technical SEO performance.
When a search engine bot requests a page, the server responds with an HTTP status code indicating whether the request succeeded (2xx codes), requires redirection (3xx codes), failed due to client error (4xx codes), or encountered a server error (5xx codes). The most common codes include 200 (success), 301/302 (redirects), 404 (not found), and 500 (server error).
Why It Matters for AI SEO
AI-powered crawlers and modern search algorithms are increasingly sophisticated in how they interpret HTTP status codes. Google's crawler budget allocation considers status codes when determining how frequently to crawl your site—pages returning errors consume valuable crawl budget without providing indexable content. AI content generation and programmatic SEO workflows create unique challenges with status codes. When scaling content creation, monitoring status codes becomes critical as bulk publishing can expose server capacity issues or configuration problems. AI tools that generate thousands of pages need proper status code monitoring to ensure search engines can access all the new content.
How It Works
Status codes operate at the server level before any page content loads. When implementing redirects during site migrations, 301 codes preserve link equity while 302 codes signal temporary moves. For AI-generated content, ensuring 200 status codes across all published pages confirms search engines can access your scaled content. Tools like Screaming Frog and Sitebulb excel at comprehensive status code auditing, while Google Search Console's Coverage report identifies specific indexing issues. Ahrefs Site Audit provides ongoing monitoring to catch status code problems before they impact rankings. Set up automated monitoring for critical pages—especially those generating significant organic traffic or conversions.
Common Mistakes
The biggest mistake is ignoring status code patterns during content scaling. Many sites discover 404 chains or redirect loops only after publishing hundreds of AI-generated pages. Another common error is treating all 4xx codes equally—while 404s indicate missing content, 410 codes signal permanently deleted pages and prevent unnecessary recrawl attempts. Don't assume AI content publishing tools handle status codes correctly; always verify proper server responses during deployment.