Imagine: You are browsing the internet and clicking on a website you want to visit. But instead of seeing the page as expected, an error message appears — 504 Gateway Timeout.
How will you feel?
These types of errors are not only frustrating to users but also impact the site’s SEO significantly.
In this article, we’ll explore in detail how 5xx server errors impact user experience and SEO and what their causes are.
Table of Contents
What are 5xx server errors?
5xx server errors are HTTP status codes that indicate a server problem has occurred. They typically originate from issues like overloaded servers, software or hardware failure, or bugs in website code.
When these errors appear on a webpage, it indicates that the user’s request could not be fulfilled; these errors can range anywhere from 500 Internal Server Errors to 504 Gateway Timeout.
How do 5xx server errors impact user experience
- Slow loading time and page unavailability
One of the major impacts of 5xx server error on user experience is slow loading times and page unavailability. When a website experiences an error, its server cannot respond to the user request, leading to delays and complete page inaccessibility. This can be frustrating for users searching for information or trying to complete transactions.
- Negative user experience
Along with slow loading time and page unavailability, 5xx errors also lead to a negative user experience. When users encounter the 5xx server error, they may assume the website is down or their internet connection is not working. This leads to confusion and annoyance. If the problem persists for longer periods, visitors start to dislike the website and go to the competitors.
- Decreased user satisfaction and loyalty
When visitors are unhappy with their online experience, it decreases user satisfaction and loyalty. And when people distrust a website, it reduces the chance of repeat business.
Also, negative user experience often spawns negative reviews and bad word-of-mouth publicity, further damaging a website’s reputation.
How do 5xx errors impact SEO
Not only do you lose repeat visitors, but you are also at risk of losing site ranking on search engines. So let’s take a look at how 5xx server errors impact a website’s SEO.
- Negative effect on website ranking
When a website consistently experiences 5xx server errors, search engines receive signals that it cannot provide adequate user experience and reduce its ranking in SERP. And once your website ranking is affected, you’ll see a major drop in traffic and conversions.
- Reduced website traffic and increased bounce rate
If users landing on the page see 5xx server errors, they will leave the website immediately and won’t return. This will decrease visits and increase the site’s bounce rate, which is not good from an SEO perspective.
- Loss of potential customers and revenue
This is obvious. When your website has less traffic and becomes less visible to people searching for your product or services through search engine queries, you will lose potential customers, ultimately affecting your company’s bottom line.
Causes of 5xx server errors
You might be wondering what causes 5xx server errors in the first place. Let’s see:
- Internal server errors
One of the primary causes of 5xx server errors is internal server errors. These can arise when there’s an issue with the server’s hardware, software, website code, or database problems.
- Database errors
Database errors can also cause these errors. It occurs when there’s some problem with the website’s database, such as corruption or exceeding its limit. Database errors also lead to slow loading and unavailable pages.
- Network connectivity issues
An issue with the network connection between a website’s server and the user’s device also leads to 5xx server errors, slow page loading, and unavailability.
Conclusion
5xx server errors can have a major impact on user experience and SEO. They cause slow page loading, page unavailability, and unpleasant user experience. This reduces user satisfaction and loyalty, which results in fewer repeat customers and revenue.
By identifying the root causes of 5xx server errors and taking measures to rectify them, website owners can ensure their websites maintain healthy functioning with a positive user experience that ranks well in SERPs.