Direct answer
Status codes describe the outcome of a request. A useful page returns 200, a missing page 404 or 410, a permanent move 301/308, and a temporary move 302/307.
Choose the response that matches the resource
| Situation | Response | Verification |
|---|---|---|
| The requested page is available | 200 | Check that the body contains the promised content. |
| A permanent equivalent replaces it | 301 or 308 | Follow the Location to the final relevant destination. |
| The move is temporary | 302 or 307 | Document when the original URL should return. |
| It is gone without a replacement | 404 or 410 | Remove stale links and sitemap entries. |
| The service is temporarily unavailable | 503 | Restore normal responses when the incident ends. |
| The caller must authenticate | 401 or another appropriate access response | Test access control independently of SEO directives. |
Avoid successful responses for missing content
A missing page that says 'not found' while returning 200 is a candidate for soft-404 treatment. A successful response also does not establish index inclusion. Check status and useful body content together, including templates generated during maintenance or inventory failures.
Permanent redirects should preserve the old task. An unrelated homepage is not a useful replacement for every missing URL. Update internal links to the final destination and review chains, loops and accidental changes to meaningful query parameters.
Worked example: retiring a guide
If a guide is replaced by a more complete guide answering the same question, map the old URL directly to that destination and update its incoming links. If no equivalent exists, show a helpful missing-page experience with a truthful 404 or 410 response. Keep that URL out of the canonical sitemap.
Record the original URL, chosen outcome, replacement rationale and verification date. This makes a later migration review possible without guessing why a redirect was introduced.
Verify the whole request path
- Request the exact URL with GET and record its response.
- Follow each redirect and record the final destination and status.
- Inspect the final canonical, robots directives and visible page.
- Check the relevant internal links and sitemap entries.
- After deployment, repeat the request and compare representative server logs.
Common mistakes
- Soft 404s returning 200.
- Redirecting every missing URL home.
- Using permanent redirects for experiments.
Limitations
- A correct status does not ensure indexing.
- Caching and intermediaries can delay observations.
Primary sources
- How HTTP status codes affect Google's crawlers — Google Crawling Infrastructure; Documentation reviewed 2026-09-26; 2026-09-26.
- Redirects and Google Search — Google Search Central; current 2026-08-19; 2026-08-19.
- Troubleshoot crawling errors — Google Search Central; current 2026-08-19; 2026-08-19.