Is error 5xx will decrease ranking of website?

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Topic summary

OP reports 5xx errors on seven Wemonde pages and asks if this will hurt rankings; one member requests details on which pages show the errors.

  • 5xx errors: Server-side HTTP errors indicating the server can’t fulfill a valid request (e.g., 500, 503). Not a client/browser issue.
  • Potential SEO impact: Contributors say these harm user experience and may indirectly depress rankings. Some warn persistent 5xx can slow crawling (reduced crawl budget), delay indexing, lead to URL demotions, and in severe recurring cases risk deindexation. One notes the ranking impact is discussed in the SEO community and advises quick fixes.

Recommended actions:

  • Check if the issue is temporary by reloading.
  • Review server error logs for causes; roll back recent changes if needed.
  • Restore from backup if corruption or misconfigurations are suspected.
  • Monitor with SEO tools to detect 5xx in real time and prevent recurrence.
  • Address server stability/performance to improve availability.

Status: No confirmed fix yet; awaiting more specifics from the OP. Consensus is to resolve 5xx errors promptly to mitigate SEO and user-experience risks.

Summarized with AI on January 7. AI used: gpt-5.
1

I have an error of 5xx on the website’s 7 pages which is Wemonde related. I have a question does 5xx error on the website pages will decrease the ranking? Can anyone help and suggest something. Here is the website https://www.wemonde.com

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Can you give more explanation as to what you’re referring to that has the 5xx error? I’d be happy to look into it

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Hi @wemondeindia ,

5XX errors specify problems with the server.

Similar to 4XX errors, 5XX errors would create unpleasant user experiences and high bounce rates - which has been rumoured within SEO community to affect ranking.

So yes, it can indirectly affect your ranking and I’d advise that you fix it as soon as possible.

Let me know my answer is of any help with a thumb up or like :grinning_face_with_smiling_eyes:

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5xx errors is caused by server issues that prevent a page from loading. These errors can result in a negative user experience, lowering search engine rankings, or causing Google deindexation.

The 5xx category of HTTP status codes contains errors that occur when the server is unable to respond to a legitimate HTTP request from a client. In short, there was no problem on the client’s end, but the server was still unable to process the request. When your client connects with a server to access a web page, these errors occur at the end of the request-response period.

It is difficult to detect and correct each occurrence of these errors, but search engines, especially 500 and 503 errors, dislike them. Google Search engines can remove your site from their index if they receive such a response on a regular basis. Using SEO tools to inspect your site and spot 5xx errors in real-time to avoid deindexing.

There are three techniques for fixing errors:

  • Reload the site page to see if the problem was just temporary.
  • Examine the site’s error log.
  • Consider any recent improvements or enhancements to the system, and roll them back until the problem is resolved.
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Whenever you see 5xx errors, it means there has been some trouble on the server side. It can severely impact your Website Ranking, Here’s how it can affect you:

  • Server errors in an eCommerce store can threaten visitor experience, diverting web traffic to competitors.
  • These errors can lead to a decline in organic traffic and harm SEO efforts.
  • Continued 5XX errors can slow content indexing by search engine crawlers, reducing the crawl budget.
  • Reduced crawl budget leads to slower content indexing and impacts SERP rankings.
  • Google and Bing may demote URLs with 5xx errors, lowering rankings or removing them from SERPs.
  • Unavailable content/pages hinder proper indexing and ranking by crawlers.

Therefore, this is why you must be concerned about the 5xx server errors. Whenever you receive any 5xx error alert, immediately fix them to prevent a negative impact on your SEO.

Below are the generic methods you can follow to fix 5XX errors:

  • Refresh or Reload the webpage after a while to check if the error is temporary (sometimes it happens due to server glitch).
  • Check your Server Error logs for better clarity about the error and proceed accordingly.
  • Restore the Website from Backup
  • Check any corrupt file in the database and for more various troubleshooting methods, you can refer to WPOven’s dedicated post on " What is a 5XX Server Error? A Guide to 5XX HTTP Status Codes".