Google Warns Webmasters Against Using 403 or 404 Status Codes for Crawl Rate Limiting with Googlebot.

Google has issued a warning to webmasters against using 403 or 404 status codes for crawl rate limiting using focus ranked keywords with low competition. The warning comes as Google seeks to improve the crawling of web pages, particularly those that contain important content that is relevant to search queries.'


In a recent blog post, Google stated that using 403 or 404 status codes for crawl rate limiting can result in Googlebot not being able to crawl and index important pages on a website. This is because Googlebot sees these codes as an indication that the page does not exist or is inaccessible, and therefore stops crawling the website altogether.

According to Google, this can have serious consequences for webmasters, as it can result in their pages not being indexed and therefore not appearing in search results. This is especially problematic for websites that rely on search traffic for their business, as it can significantly reduce their visibility online.

To avoid this problem, Google recommends that webmasters use the 503-status code for crawl rate limiting instead. This code indicates to Googlebot that the page is temporarily unavailable but will be accessible again in the near future. This allows Googlebot to continue crawling the website and ensures that important pages are not missed.

Google also emphasized the importance of using focus ranked keywords with low competition to improve the visibility of web pages in search results. By using these types of keywords, webmasters can increase their chances of ranking highly in search results and attracting more traffic to their website.

Overall, the warning from Google serves as a reminder to webmasters about the importance of using the correct status codes for crawl rate limiting, and of the role that focus ranked keywords can play in improving the visibility of web pages in search results. By following these guidelines, webmasters can ensure that their pages are crawled and indexed by Google, and that they are able to attract more traffic to their website.