seo/http-status

Why

A "Page not found" view returned with status 200 is a soft 404: search engines may index the error page or keep a dead URL in results. Temporary redirects for permanent moves split ranking signals between the old and new URL.

Fix

Return the real status from the server or the framework (Next.js notFound(), Nuxt createError({ statusCode: 404 }), SvelteKit error(404), Astro return new Response(null, { status: 404 })). In a client-only app, redirect unknown routes to a URL the server answers with 404, or add <meta name="robots" content="noindex"> to the error view. Use 301 or 308 for permanent moves.

Examples

// Next.js App Router
import { notFound } from 'next/navigation'
if (!product) notFound()

Sources

• Chrome for Developers, Page has unsuccessful HTTP status code (Lighthouse audit)
• MDN, HTTP response status codes

Read it in the terminal

npx github:dawidolko/frontend-skills explain seo/http-status