Definition HTTP status codes declare resource state to browsers and search engine bots. 200 is accessible; 301 is permanent move; 302 is temporary move; 404 is not found; 410 is gone; 500 is server error; 503 is service unavailable.
How it works Bots receive a status code on each request. Codes other than 200 trigger different handling. 301 passes link equity to the target. 302 creates ambiguity in equity flow. 404 starts the index removal process. 410 signals faster removal. 503 announces temporary downtime with retry-after header. Repeated 5xx lowers crawl rate.
Where you see it in Scope Trends The **Site Crawl** report lists status codes per URL. The **Issues** tab orders 4xx and 5xx pages by priority. The **Redirect Chain** tab flags 301 chains.
Frequently asked questions **Does a 301 chain hurt SEO?** Chains longer than three hops cause equity loss and consume crawl budget. Collapse to a single step.
**What is a soft 404?** A page that returns status 200 but shows not-found content. Google treats these as 404.