Understanding the SEO Effects of 503 Status Codes According to Google

Searchers who expect a website to always be available may be disappointed to encounter a 503 status code.

However, brief downtime is perfectly acceptable.

During the April edition of the Google Search Central SEO office hours, someone asked about the effects of sometimes showing 503 "Service Unavailable" status codes.

Gary Illyes, who has been a Google webmaster trends analyst for a long time, explained the search engine's position.

Serving a 503 status code for a long time can slow down how often search engines crawl your website.

But don't worry! Taking 10-15 minutes occasionally is not considered a long time, so you don't have to be concerned.

The Importance Of Uptime

While 100% uptime may be ideal, it’s not required to maintain good rankings in Google’s search results.

Websites sometimes need maintenance and updates, which can cause unplanned outages. However, as long as these downtimes are short and rare, they are not likely to have a significant impact on crawling and indexing.

An extended period was not specifically defined, but it was considered acceptable to have 10-15 minute windows several times per week.

Google had previously announced that it would begin removing webpages from its index if a site remained down for more than a few days.

Planning For Updates

Advanced planning and strategy are recommended for websites expecting extended downtime.

Techniques like shadowing a staging site or employing progressive rollouts can reduce the visibility of errors and downtime.

Illyes advises:

Changing [configuration] should not negatively impact your pages’ rankings in Google’s search results if you follow the proper procedures to maintain website resolution and keep downtime to a minimum.

Google’s search algorithms can handle brief periods of downtime without penalizing your website’s ranking. It is important to prioritize continuous uptime for optimal user experience, but occasional short downtimes should not significantly affect your site’s visibility in search results.

Why SEJ Cares

Google’s guidance on brief 503 status codes provides relief for publishers who may be concerned about the potential negative impacts of website downtime.

Many websites need to undergo regular updates either weekly or monthly, which may lead to some downtime. These updates are necessary for publishing new content, implementing product updates, applying security patches, and performing general maintenance tasks.

Unplanned outages, server issues, and other unavoidable downtime can occur. However, as long as these temporary setbacks are being addressed promptly, there is no need to worry about losing rankings and search visibility.

How This Can Help You

Website owners, developers, and SEO professionals managing websites can benefit from understanding Google’s tolerances for 503 status codes.

Some key takeaways:

Plan for and minimize downtime during updates, but don’t stress over short periods serving 503s.

Monitor analytics and user feedback to minimize the impact of unavailable periods on users. Prioritize uptime and quickly resolving errors to maintain overall website health.

Consider using techniques such as staged rollouts to minimize errors when implementing major updates that require extended downtime.

By following the guidelines set by Google, websites can better understand how to balance downtime with their SEO priorities.

Hear the full question and answer in the video below:

Featured Image: Zikku Creative/Shutterstock

Editor's P/S:

The article provides valuable insights into Google's stance on 503 status codes, highlighting that brief periods of downtime are acceptable without significantly impacting search rankings. This is reassuring for website owners who may experience occasional outages due to maintenance or updates. However, it is crucial to prioritize uptime and minimize downtime to ensure optimal user experience and maintain overall website health.

The article emphasizes the importance of planning and strategy for extended downtime. Techniques such as shadowing staging sites or employing progressive rollouts can reduce the visibility of errors and downtime. It is also essential to monitor analytics and user feedback to promptly address any issues that may arise during unavailable periods. By following Google's guidelines, website owners can strike a balance between downtime and SEO priorities, ensuring their websites remain accessible and visible to search engines and users alike.