Redirects and error codes: what Googlebot does with them
HTTP status codes are one of the few places where Google documents its behavior precisely. The supported facts make migration and error handling decisions mechanical.
Last reviewed: 2026-09-15
Redirects
Supported: a permanent redirect (301/308) is used by Google’s indexing pipeline as a signal that the target should become canonical; a temporary redirect (302/307) is followed but is not by itself such a signal. When you move a page for good, say so with a permanent redirect — the distinction is not cosmetic.
Error codes shape crawling
Also supported, from Google’s documentation: most 4xx responses reduce future crawling of those URLs; HTTP 429 is treated as an overload signal that can reduce crawling; and persistent server errors slow crawling of the site. Separately, Google has said that exposing many low-value URLs can hurt a site’s crawling and indexing — parameter pages, thin archives and infinite calendars spend crawl attention that your real pages need.
How Editory sites behave
Editory’s published sites are served by a render path with no dependence on the editing platform: if the platform is down, published pages keep serving normally, so crawlers never meet an outage-shaped wall of 5xx responses. Sites publish exactly the pages you created — there is no URL-space of auto-generated archive or parameter pages to leak crawl budget into.
Editory’s recommendation
Use permanent redirects for permanent moves, keep your error pages honest (a missing page should 404, not soft-200), and keep your URL space equal to your real content.
Common misconceptions
“A 302 is fine for a permanent move — Google figures it out.”
Documented and supported: only the permanent redirect is used by the indexing pipeline as a canonicalization signal. Eventually Google may adapt, but you are withholding the signal it documents using.
What the engine does
renderer:data-plane-isolationPublished sites are served by a render path with zero dependency on the editing platform — a platform outage never turns published pages into 5xx responses.
audit:tech:publish-stateThe technical audit checks publish state (an unpublished home page means the site root 404s) and that robots.txt and sitemap.xml are served.
Evidence
The claims behind this page, with their status in the evidence release. Click a claim for its sources.
Supported — asserted as written
Current Google documentation states that permanent redirects are used by the indexing pipeline as a signal that the redirect target should become canonical.Supported
Claim ID: clm_24c6f153-b941-4ea0-83e0-500cfee4fa1c
Sources
- Redirects and Google Search | Google Search Central | Documentation — Google (Search Central) · primary source
“the indexing pipeline uses the redirect as a signal that the redirect target should be canonical”
- How to Specify a Canonical with rel="canonical" and Other Methods | Google Search Central — Google (Search Central) · primary source
“A strong signal that the target of the redirect should become canonical”
- Are 301 Redirects a Google Ranking Factor? Complete Analysis — Rankability
“Google treats permanent redirects (301/308) as strong canonical signals”
Current Google documentation states that a temporary redirect is followed but is not itself used by the indexing pipeline as a signal that the target should become canonical.Supported
Claim ID: clm_a517cb30-b9ae-44b7-b6b2-57b095932f3e
Sources
- Redirects and Google Search | Google Search Central — Google · primary source
“the indexing pipeline doesn't use the redirect as a signal”
- How to Specify a Canonical with rel="canonical" and Other Methods | Google Search Central — Google · primary source
“the target of the redirect should become canonical”
- URL Redirect Types: 301 vs 302 vs 307 Explained — minily.org
“keep the old URL indexed”
- 302 Redirect — Patrick Stox
“pipeline says it doesn’t treat a temporary redirect as a signal the target should be canonical”
Current Google documentation states that most 4xx responses reduce future crawling of those URLs.Supported
Claim ID: clm_3962ec67-e6e8-5fb1-beed-e431231edd6d
Sources
- How HTTP status codes affect Google's crawlers — Google (developers.google.com) · primary source
“The crawling frequency gradually decreases”
- Crawl Budget Management — Google · primary source
“a 404 status code is a strong signal not to crawl that URL again.”
- HTTP status codes: what they are and what they mean — SEOZoom
“The crawl frequency gradually decreases”
Google treats HTTP 429 as an overload/rate-limit signal that can reduce crawling.Supported
Claim ID: clm_b1a1ba4f-414d-4fa4-8cec-405613e317c6
Sources
- Reduce the Google crawl rate — Google (Search Central / Crawling infrastructure docs) · primary source
“reduces your site's crawling rate when it encounters a significant number of URLs with 500, 503, or 429 HTTP response status codes”
- How HTTP status codes affect Google's crawlers — Google (Search Central / Crawling infrastructure docs) · primary source
“treat the 429 status code as a signal that the server is overloaded”
- Don't misuse 4xx for rate limiting Googlebot (Search Central Blog) — Google Search Central Blog · primary source
“needs to slow down because it's overloading the server”
- 429 Errors: 'Too Many Requests' and Rate Limiting Issues — Prerender.io
“Googlebot automatically lowers its crawl rate”
Persistent server errors can cause Google to slow crawling.Supported
Claim ID: clm_471905cc-c211-5744-b46c-4f85cdae595a
Sources
- Crawl Budget Management | Google Crawling Infrastructure — Google for Developers · primary source
“responds with server errors (5xx HTTP status codes) ... the limit goes down and Google crawls less”
- Reduce Google Crawl Rate | Google Crawling Infrastructure — Google for Developers · primary source
“reduces your site's crawling rate when it encounters a significant number of URLs with 500, 503, or 429”
- How HTTP status codes affect Google's crawlers — Google Crawling Infrastructure · primary source
“5xx and 429 server errors prompt Google's crawlers to temporarily slow down with crawling.”
- Reduce the Google crawl rate — Google Crawling Infrastructure · primary source
“Google's crawling infrastructure reduces your site's crawling rate when it encounters a significant number of URLs”
Google has claimed that exposing many low-value URLs can negatively affect a site's crawling and indexing.Supported
Claim ID: clm_9a0ce2fd-dee5-41be-a902-7f0b7ec0166c
Sources
- What Crawl Budget Means for Googlebot — Google Search Central Blog · primary source
“having many low-value-add URLs can negatively affect a site's crawling and indexing”
- Crawl Budget Management For Large Sites — Google Search Central Documentation · primary source
“Exposing many URLs on your site that you don't want crawled by Search can negatively affect a site's crawling and indexing”
- Troubleshoot Google Search Crawling Errors | Google Search Central | Documentation | Google for Developers — Google · primary source
“Exposing many URLs on your site that you don't want crawled by Search can negatively affect a site's crawling and indexing.”
- Googlebot Crawl Budget Explained by Google's Gary Illyes — Search Engine Journal
“Illyes recommends not wasting resources on low-value-add URLs which can steal crawl activity away from your high-quality content”
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