HTTP Status Errors Leaderboard

What is HTTP Status Errors?

HTTP status errors occur when a page returns a non-200 response code to crawlers or browsers. 4xx codes (404, 403, 410) indicate client-facing access problems, while 5xx codes (500, 502, 503) indicate server-level failures. Each error response stops crawlers from indexing that URL and from following any links on the page, reducing crawl depth for connected sections of the site.

Why it matters

A page returning a server error consistently across crawl cycles will be removed from the search index within weeks, losing all accumulated ranking history for that URL. High error counts also signal poor site maintenance to Google's quality systems, which can suppress rankings across the broader domain.

How to fix

1. 1.Fix 5xx errors first — these are server or application-level failures and affect all visitors, not just crawlers.
2. 2.For permanently removed pages, return 410 Gone rather than 404 to trigger faster deindexation.
3. 3.Update or remove all internal links pointing to error URLs to prevent crawl budget waste.
4. 4.Set up uptime monitoring with alerting on 5xx spikes for your highest-traffic landing pages.
5. 5.Review the Coverage report in Google Search Console weekly to catch new error URLs before they accumulate.