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URL Returned non-200 Response Code: Why it Occurs and How to Fix it

URL Returned non-200 Response Code: Why it Occurs and How to Fix it

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What Does the “URLs with Canonical to non-200” Issue Mean?

The “URLs with Canonical to non-200” issue refers to a situation where a webpage (URL) has a canonical link element pointing to another URL that does not return a successful HTTP status code (200). This is problematic because the canonical link element is used to indicate the preferred version of a webpage for search engines, helping to avoid duplicate content issues and consolidating page ranking signals.

Canonical Link Element

The <link rel=”canonical” href=”URL”> tag is placed in the <head> section of a webpage’s HTML to indicate the preferred URL for that page’s content.

Examples of Problems

  • Canonical to 404: The preferred URL points to a page that does not exist (404 Not Found).
  • Canonical to 301/302: The preferred URL points to a page that is redirected to another URL, potentially causing a chain of redirects that search engines may not follow completely.
  • Canonical to 500: The preferred URL points to a page with server issues (500 Internal Server Error).

How to Check the Issue

Using any browser is enough to check the issue. Open the source code of the flawed page To do this, click the right mouse button at any spot of the page and choose “browse the code” option, or apply an online tool Source Code Viewer.

Find the link tag with the rel=”canonical” attribute. Copy the URL from href attribute.

Insert a copied address in any response analyzer, such as https://redbot.org/

The checked URL should return the 200 server response. Any response other than 200 denotes to the presence of an error.

As an SEO specialist using the Sitechecker SEO tool, you’ll find that it’s a comprehensive platform designed to pinpoint various issues that may affect your site’s performance. One of the critical issues that the tool can help you with is the “Canonical to non-200” problem highlighted in the Indexability category.

Canonical to non 200 Issue

By selecting “View issue,” you can investigate the issue in detail. This action allows you to see where the canonical tag is in the code, understand the nature of the problem, and determine the best course of action to correct it.

Fix Canonical Flaws!

Ensure every canonical tag points right! Check and resolve non-200 canonicals easily.

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How to Fix This Issue

Fixing the issue involves several steps to ensure that the canonical URLs on your website point to pages that return a successful 200 HTTP status code. Here’s a detailed guide on how to fix this issue:

1. Identify the Problematic Canonical URLs using Sitechecker or Google Search Console

Look for URLs with canonical tags pointing to pages that return non-200 status codes.

2. Verify the HTTP Status Codes

For each canonical URL identified, manually check the HTTP status code using tools like cURL, HTTP status code checker, or browser developer tools (Network tab).

Dev Tools Network

Confirm if they are indeed returning non-200 status codes (e.g., 404, 301, 302, 500).

3. Fix the Issues Based on the Status Codes

404 Not Found

Solution: Update the canonical tag to point to a valid, existing URL that returns a 200 status code. If the canonical URL is correct and the page should exist, restore the missing page.

301/302 Redirects

Solution: Update the canonical tag to point directly to the final destination URL that returns a 200 status code. Avoid chains of redirects.

500 Server Error

Solution: Investigate and resolve the server issues causing the 500 error. This might involve checking server logs, fixing coding errors, or addressing configuration issues.

Other 4xx or 5xx Errors

Solution: Address the specific client or server error causing the issue. For example, a 403 Forbidden error might require permission adjustments, while a 503 Service Unavailable error might need a temporary downtime resolution.

4. Update Canonical Tags

After identifying and fixing the problematic canonical URLs, update the canonical tags in the HTML of the affected pages to point to the correct URLs.

Sitechecker Canonical

5. Test the Changes

Use the Website Monitoring Tool again to re-crawl the site and ensure that the issues have been resolved. Verify that all canonical URLs now point to pages with a 200 status code.

6. Monitor Regularly

Regularly audit your site to catch any future issues with canonical URLs. Set up alerts or periodic reports to stay informed about any new issues.

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