10 Most Common Website Errors and How to Fix Them
Website errors must be your major concern if you are a website developer. Managing a website involves a lot of things. And the occurrence of errors can be due to one of many reasons. Your website may have broken links, codes, damaged links, or anything that needs to be fixed to make your website work properly. An error-free website is the dream of every website owner. If you are relatively new in this field and face any errors on your website, then learning how to fix website errors is a part of the process.
If each page of your website loads quickly and works as intended, your website is working fine. But if it shows any error, you need to pay attention and try to fix it as soon as possible. It can be intimidating for beginners to find and fix website errors. Even seasoned professionals sometimes get stuck in the process and do not find the best way to fix the errors.
That being said, a website should be easy to navigate and intuitive, and each link should be workable. You must keep checking that everything is working correctly. However, if you encounter any errors, you can learn how to fix them from this guide. So, keep this guide handy, so you can use it whenever you need a quick fix for your website.
What are Page Errors?
Generally, a website consists of multiple pages. But there exist single-page websites as well. Whenever a user requests a specific page and something goes wrong with the request, it shows an error message. This refers to the page error. Well, communication between a browser and a server must be quick and error-free. A response code is also sent whenever a browser requests the server, along with the page load. That can refer to successful communication or be used to check the error (if any). Upon successful response, a 2xx response code comes along with the webpage’s HTML body.
How Can Errors Affect Your Website SEO?
A successfully running website means your users are having a good time on your website. Every element on your website is working as intended. But if you are facing errors and cannot deliver the expected results, you should take it as a warning. Because somewhere down the line, your website is also getting affected. Yes! Unresponsive pages, slowly loading pages, broken links, fragmented code, etc., can harm your SEO and bring down your website’s ranking.
Thus, make sure your website is up and running all the time. If you find any errors, don’t hesitate to contact experts to fix them. Or if you are certain about your technical skills, then go ahead and fix them as mentioned in this guide. So, let us find out the common website errors and how to fix them hassle-free.
There are five major categories of website error codes. Any fault or false outcome you are witnessing on your website can be due to many reasons. The quickest way to determine what error you face can be guessed from the starting digit. All error codes are three-digit numbers, and the first digit represents the category it falls in.
Five Main Website Error Codes Categories
All five categories are numbered from 1 to 5 as their first digits.
1xx Error Codes
The error codes start with the number “1”, the implies informational error codes. This error usually comes when a website receives a user request, but it takes longer than normal to respond.
2xx Error Codes
Some codes bring smiles. Yes! The error code beginning with the number “2” denotes a successful response. If 2xx is displayed on the screen, it means that the made request has been received, accepted, and processed.
3xx Error Codes
Another form of error code initiated with the number “3” defines redirection. Error code with 3xx pops up when an old URL is redirected to another new URL. For instance, if you are still trying to reach a URL from a domain whose name is now changed. In another case, may the URL can be redirected to a new location. It’s like informing your users that a specific page they requested is now changed to a new URL.
4xx Error Codes
I am sure you must have experienced the error code 404 once in your online experience. Yes! “The page not found error.” Error codes beginning with “4” defines that the requested page no longer exists. This can happen because of many factors, such as a changed website’s domain name, a broken URL, a particular user not having permission to access the page, etc.
5xx Error Codes
Error codes with 5xx indicate that the issues are happening at the back end of your website. A request made by the user for a particular page does not get processed because some unspecified situation is stopping the server not to respond.
Now let us see the most common website errors you may encounter.
Website Errors and Ways to Fix Them
1. Poor Page Load Speed
Recent studies have found that users will abandon the site if a website takes more than 3 seconds to load. Just a one-second increase in site load can result in devastating results. Your customers will move to your competitor’s website if your website takes too long to load. Thus, each page should load quickly and flawlessly. The page load time starts from the moment when a user clicks on the link on a website and stops when the entire content on the page is loaded completely.
How to Fix
There are tools to fix page load speed. You can use tools like GTmetrix, a user-friendly option, to analyze your website. This tool gives you clear insights into every page of your website both for mobile and desktop. Also, you will get to know how well your page performs in 22 different global locations. If you find it difficult to use, you can anytime take professional help.
2. 400 Bad Request
The 400 Bad Request error occurs when the server does not respond to the user’s request because a user has made a wrong request. Sometimes it is also associated with the browser caching system. There are chances when wrong request syntax, misleading request routing, invalid request message framing, or problem with the server. You will see error code 400 Bad Request if anything similar to these issues happens.
How to Fix
In order to fix this error 400 Bad Request, you can take care of a few things and see if you can fix it. Make sure you use the correct URL. Clear your browser cache and DNS Flush. Furthermore, it is advisable to reduce the file size so that you do not land somewhere unwanted. Or, if none of these ways work for you, expert advice is always there. You can take professional help.
3. 401 Unauthorised
The error code 401 Unauthorised means when a user tries to access a website but does not have authenticated credentials to proceed further. Website owners can have customized unauthorized error messages to display on their websites. They may use authorization required, HTTP Error 401 unauthorized, etc. These are some of the commonly used customized messages by website owners.
How to Fix
Sometimes the easiest way to fix this error is simply to reopen the page. All you have to do is close the window and open it again with the correct URL. At times when you are in a hurry, there can be a chance that you mistakenly type the wrong URL or may click on the incorrect link. And when you are trying to log in to the website, it doesn’t allow you. There you need to enter the correct login credentials and then try. Or if by any chance you have forgotten the password, just follow the given instructions and retrieve your password. Clearing your browser cache may also help you a little. Because you never know if the wrongly typed credentials have been saved locally in the browser. Just clear everything and try again.
4. 404 Page Not Found
The most common website error you get to see is the 404 page not found error. This error indicates that the requested page does not exist. When a user accidentally uses broken or dead links, or the server is too slow to load a large file. That’s exactly when the 404 error appears. Once the page existed, but for reasons, it has been removed, and users try to reach that particular page only. Then 404 page not found error will be displayed.
How to Fix
First and foremost, check if you have entered the right URL or not. Whether you are writing the URL manually or redirecting, make sure the URL is accurate. Does the content still exist? If so, then find the new URL and redirect the old URL to the new location. Check if the server hosting the website is running unerringly and if all the connections are accurate. Deleting the browser cache always works.
5. 408 Request Time Out
When you see the 408 Request Time Out error message displayed on your screen, it means the server could not receive the full request sent by the user within the specific wait timeframe. A server decides on itself and closes the requests that take too long. Sometimes you don’t even see this error message, and the server from its end closes the connection. And you just keep waiting for the page to open, but it will not.
How to Fix
Reloading the page may resolve the issue. If the issue persists, you can try other methods. Check whether the URL was typed correctly. Most of the time, the issue may be resolved by simply checking the URL. Checking the internet connection is a relatively simple step that is frequently ignored. Check if any other website is running fine; if so, that means the problem is with the website you are trying to reach. On the other hand, if you have modified the platform your website is based on, such as WordPress, Joomla, Magento, etc., the 408 error occurs due to that.
6. 500 Internal Server Error
The 500 Internal Server Error implies that a server is experiencing some unexpected condition that prevents the server from completing the request. Whenever a situation comes up that a server is not familiar with and it doesn’t know how to handle, it shows a 500 Internal Server Error. Website developers experience these errors frequently. Thus, they can handle the issue quite easily.
How to Fix
The developers can handle this type of error. But if something goes beyond the reach, professionals are always there to fix the error. To fix this issue, refresh the page, which may work. Because sometimes the server gets too busy to process every request, refreshing the browser may help in that case. Whatever is happening on your website can be managed from the admin end. So, keep an eye on the backend, and if you notice anything unusual, address that issue soon as possible. If everything is working fine at your end, contact your server and ask them to sort out the complexity.
7. 502 Bad Gateway
Error 502 occurs when a server receives a user request, and the internal server error prevents the server from completing the action. This type of error can be tricky to fix. They involve a web server and the proxies you have set for your website. If you are sure about your technical skills, check the error. Otherwise, you know experts are there to help you.
How to Fix
Page refresh is considered a universal solution to almost all website errors, irrespective of your device. However, there are many other ways to fix this error. Check for all the live subscribers you currently have on your website. The number of users present on your website may be making your website heavier. Which, in turn, stops your website from responding in the right manner. Look for reasons unbeknown to you. Maybe they are the ones that are causing everything. Also, ensure the server is working uninterruptedly and does not kill any request prematurely because it’s too long.
8. 503 Service Unavailable
When the website server is not available at the moment, that’s the time when the 503 Service Unavailable error is shown. Generally, this error message is displayed when the server is too busy, or the site is under maintenance. The 503 error message can be customized by the website it is appeared on. So, you may see different and fully customized error messages on different websites. When websites are under maintenance, they display something creative and engaging to their users. So that they do come back after a while.
How to Fix
It is a server-side error that is related to the website server. The server is refusing connection temporarily, so trying the page again may work. Try deactivating the CDN for a while. You may also contact your hosting service provider to make the required changes.
9. Broken Links
As the name suggests, broken links on your website can cause the most damage to your website’s ranking and brand reputation. Any link on your website that leads to a 404 page not found is the most frustrating. Links available on your website that are not serving any purpose, misleading links, or broken links indicate poor website maintenance. Thus, users tend to lose interest, and you may also lose website credibility. Not only in the eyes of users, but also Google may penalize you for too many broken links and redirects.
How to Fix
Thoroughly analyze every page on your website and look for broken links, dead pages, and images that are not useful to your business. Of course, it is possible for a website that does not have many pages. But if you have a website that has multiple pages and a massive blog, then manual checking can be tiresome. You can use many AI SEO tools to check your website for broken links and fix them accordingly. Using Semrush can help you fix your website errors.
10. Security Certificate
Ensuring website security should be your top priority. The customer data available on your website is vulnerable to theft. So, it is your responsibility to keep it safe and secure. If your website comes under cyber attack, it can do serious damage to your website. And you may lose customers’ trust in a blink of an eye. So, taking required and effective measures can be helpful. You might also want to consider attending a cyber security bootcamp. This provides you with a structured and focused learning experience that equips you with the skills, knowledge, and tools to ensure website security.
How to Fix
Check for new updates for the software you are using on your website. Periodically, update the copyright and get an SSL certificate for your website. SSL certificate will ensure that every payment and client information on your website is safe and secure. Keeping users’ trust is highly important. Do not leave any means of evasion for wrongdoers.
In Conclusion
So this brings us to the end of this comprehensive guide. I hope you can now quickly find and fix website errors even without much technical expertise. Because if your user experience is good, you are more likely to focus on creating new ideas to generate more leads and keep your users engaged. When it comes to SEO, you have to keep your website up-to-date and free of errors. If you find it difficult to manage your website SEO, consider Outreach Monks, the top-notch agency to cater to all your SEO needs. They will assist you in improving the SEO of your website through their exemplary link building services, guest posting services, link insertion services, and so on.
Website SEO depends on various factors that an SEO expert or web developer can help you with. However, many tools available in the market can help you fix website issues without a hitch. Some of them are free, and some are paid tools. You can choose based on your needs and requirements. It is recommended to monitor your website from the user’s perspective as well. And if you experience anything unusual, chances your users may also experience the same. Fix all the errors and make your website a joyful ride for your users. If you have doubts or queries regarding website errors or page errors, please feel free to leave a message below in the comments box.
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