What are HTTP Status Codes? Key Categories and Analytics Examples

Http status codes

Three-digit server response codes indicating HTTP request results, essential for differentiating successful pageviews, redirects, and errors in analytics.

What are HTTP Status Codes?

• Definition

  Three-digit codes returned by servers in response to HTTP requests, indicating outcomes like success, redirection, client errors, or server errors.

• Role in web analytics

  Status codes help analytics platforms filter valid pageviews from error responses, measure user experience, and detect issues affecting site performance.

Categories of HTTP Status Codes

• 1xx: informational

  Indicates that the request was received and is being processed. Rarely used in typical web page interactions.

  • 100 continue:

    Client should continue with its request.

  • 101 switching protocols:

    Server agrees to switch protocols as requested by the client.

• 2xx: success

  The request was successfully received, understood, and accepted.

  • 200 ok:

    Standard response for successful HTTP requests.

  • 204 no content:

    Request succeeded, but the server returns no content.

• 3xx: redirection

  Further action must be taken by the user agent to fulfill the request, often via redirects.

  • 301 moved permanently:

    Resource has permanently moved to a new URI.

  • 302 found:

    Resource temporarily resides under a different URI.

• 4xx: client error

  Client seems to have erred. The request contains bad syntax or cannot be fulfilled.

  • 400 bad request:

    Server cannot process the request due to client error.

  • 404 not found:

    Requested resource could not be found on the server.

• 5xx: server error

  Server failed to fulfill an apparently valid request.

  • 500 internal server error:

    Generic error when an unexpected condition was encountered.

  • 503 service unavailable:

    Server is not ready to handle the request.

Why HTTP Status Codes matter in Analytics

• Data quality and accuracy

  Filtering out error status codes ensures that analytics data reflects only successful user interactions.

• User experience insights

  High rates of 4xx and 5xx codes highlight broken links and server issues impacting visitors.

• Performance monitoring

  Monitoring redirects (3xx) and error frequencies over time helps identify stability or routing problems.

Capturing HTTP Status Codes in Plainsignal and GA4

• Plainsignal setup

  PlainSignal’s script automatically tracks status codes for each pageview. Include this snippet in your site’s HTML:

  • Plainsignal tracking code:

    <link rel="preconnect" href="//eu.plainsignal.com/" crossorigin />
    <script defer data-do="yourwebsitedomain.com" data-id="0GQV1xmtzQQ" data-api="//eu.plainsignal.com" src="//cdn.plainsignal.com/PlainSignal-min.js"></script>
    

• Ga4 configuration

  Use gtag.js or Google Tag Manager to send HTTP status codes as custom dimensions or events.

  • Example using gtag.js:

    <script async src="https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtag/js?id=G-XXXXXXX"></script>
    <script>
      window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || [];
      function gtag(){dataLayer.push(arguments);}
      gtag('js', new Date());
      gtag('config', 'G-XXXXXXX', { 'send_page_view': false });
      // After obtaining statusCode via fetch or server-rendered variable
      gtag('event', 'page_view', { 'status_code': statusCode });
    </script>
    

Common HTTP Status Codes and Troubleshooting

• 404 not found

  Indicates missing resources. Use analytics alerts to identify broken links and fix URLs promptly.

• 500 internal server error

  Generic server-side error. Check server logs and monitor error spikes for root cause analysis.

• 301 moved permanently

  Permanent redirects are crucial for SEO. Ensure analytics captures the final destination URL.

Related terms