Google: Use 503 Status Code Only For Hours, Not Weeks

Jun 8, 2017 - 7:39 am 0 by

503

A 503 Service Unavailable server status code is to be used when the server is currently unable to handle the request due to a temporary overloading or maintenance of the server. It is a good method for temporary downtime and to help Google know that your site is not completely offline but rather, it is just a temporary thing.

Well, how long is temporary? John Mueller from Google answered the question on Twitter saying use it if your site is offline for hours. John said "roughly hours is fine" adding "if it's weeks then it's not really temporary." John later added that "it would be misleading to include it in search."

No, you do not want to mislead Google!

John answered this before but he didn't go as far to say it is misleading.

Forum discussion at Twitter.

 

Popular Categories

The Pulse of the search community

Search Video Recaps

 
- YouTube
Video Details More Videos Subscribe to Videos

Most Recent Articles

Search Forum Recap

Daily Search Forum Recap: April 29, 2025

Apr 29, 2025 - 10:00 am
Other Search Engines

ChatGPT Search Gains Shopping Search Features (Not Ads) & More

Apr 29, 2025 - 7:51 am
Google Search Engine Optimization

Google: Changing Lastmod Date In Sitemap Isn't An SEO Hack

Apr 29, 2025 - 7:41 am
Bing Search

Bing Tests New AI Answer Summary

Apr 29, 2025 - 7:31 am
Google Ads

Google Tests New Shopping Ads Design

Apr 29, 2025 - 7:21 am
Bing Search

Bing Search Without Microsoft Name By Logo

Apr 29, 2025 - 7:11 am
Previous Story: Google Very Pink Hallway