HTTP Status Checker
Enter one or more URLs to inspect response codes, headers, and redirect paths. Test with different user agents.
AI Bots and Web Crawling
AI bots are automated web crawlers used by AI companies to gather training data for their language models. Unlike traditional search engine bots that index content for search results, AI bots collect data to train artificial intelligence systems.
Used by OpenAI to train ChatGPT and other GPT models. Most website owners block this bot using robots.txt to prevent their content from being used in AI training.
Anthropic's web crawler for training Claude AI. Respects robots.txt rules and can be blocked if desired.
Why Check HTTP Status Codes?
Checking HTTP status codes is essential for maintaining a healthy website and ensuring optimal SEO performance. Status codes tell you whether your pages are accessible to users and search engines, helping you identify broken links, redirect chains, server errors, and access issues before they impact your rankings or user experience.
Different bots and crawlers may receive different responses from your server. Testing your URLs with Googlebot, Bingbot, and AI crawlers like GPTBot and ClaudeBot ensures that all important visitors can access your content. Most websites inadvertently block certain bots or serve different content to different user agents, which can negatively impact discoverability.
Our HTTP Status Checker provides comprehensive testing capabilities including redirect chain analysis, canonical domain verification, SSL certificate validation, and robots.txt checking - giving you a complete picture of your URL's health and accessibility across all major bots and browsers.
Understanding HTTP Status Code Categories
Success Codes
Indicate that the request was successfully received, understood, and accepted by the server.
Redirect Codes
Indicate that further action is needed to complete the request, typically following a redirect.
Client Error Codes
Indicate that the request contains bad syntax or cannot be fulfilled by the server.
Server Error Codes
Indicate that the server failed to fulfill a valid request due to an error on the server side.
Best Practices for HTTP Status Codes
Use 301 Redirects for Permanent Moves
When permanently moving a page, always use a 301 redirect rather than 302. Search engines transfer ranking signals and link equity through 301 redirects, preserving your SEO value. 302 redirects tell search engines the move is temporary and to keep the original URL indexed.
Fix 404 Errors Promptly
404 errors create poor user experience and waste crawl budget. Regularly audit your site for broken links and either restore missing content or implement 301 redirects to relevant alternative pages. Use custom 404 pages to guide users back to working content.
Minimize Redirect Chains
Avoid redirect chains where one redirect leads to another. Each hop adds latency and dilutes link equity. Update old redirects to point directly to final destinations. Our tool helps visualize redirect chains so you can optimize them.
Monitor Server Errors
5xx server errors signal critical issues that prevent access to your content. Set up monitoring to alert you immediately when server errors occur. Frequent 500, 502, or 503 errors can cause search engines to temporarily remove pages from their index.
Implement Proper Canonicalization
Ensure www and non-www versions of your domain redirect to a single canonical version. Mixed www/non-www URLs can cause duplicate content issues. Our canonical domain check verifies that all variants properly redirect to your preferred version.
Conduct Regular SEO Audits and Site Monitoring
Regular HTTP status checks help identify 404 errors that damage user experience and SEO. Monitor your important pages to ensure they return 200 status codes and implement proper 301 redirects for moved content. Check that your canonical URLs are correctly configured to avoid duplicate content issues.
Control AI Bot Access
Test how AI crawlers like GPTBot, ClaudeBot, and Google-Extended interact with your site. Verify that your robots.txt rules are working correctly if you've chosen to block AI bots from training on your content. Most publishers block AI bots while allowing traditional search engine crawlers.
Optimize Redirect Chains
Identify and fix redirect chains that slow down your site and waste crawl budget. Each redirect adds latency and reduces the link equity passed to your final destination URL. Our tool visualizes the complete redirect path, helping you optimize for direct 301 redirects.
Verify HTTPS Migration
When migrating from HTTP to HTTPS, verify that all pages properly redirect to their secure counterparts. Check SSL certificate validity and ensure no mixed content warnings occur. Proper HTTPS implementation is crucial for both security and SEO.