What does 5xx mean?
A 5xx status code means a server error: the website's server or a service behind it failed while handling the request.
Status codes from 500 to 599 are server errors. Your request was fine, but the server, or another server it depends on, could not complete it. The most common are 500 Internal Server Error, 502 Bad Gateway, 503 Service Unavailable and 504 Gateway Timeout. These are almost never caused by the visitor's device. They can be brief, during a restart or traffic spike, or last until someone fixes the server.
Why it matters for your business: 5xx errors mean your site is down or broken for everyone who hits them. If they last, search engines slow their visits and can drop pages from results.
What to do if you see it
- Wait a minute, then reload the page.
- Check the site on another device or network to confirm it is not only you.
- If it is your own website and the error lasts more than a few minutes, open a request in your client portal with the page address and the time you saw it.
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