It is an awful feeling when you go to check your website and see a 5xx server error show up on your screen instead of your awesome homepage and content.
Your heart might feel like it has sunk into your stomach and you panic wondering what it means.
I’ve learned that this 5xx error is maybe a common thing on Instagram, but this post is more focused on if you get a server error in the 500 category with your own website and how to fix it.
The Quick Answer to Fix It?
Just wait and do nothing.
That’s a hard answer to accept, but the problem is probably completely out of your control.
It’s most likely a problem with your hosting company and they should be trying to resolve their technical issues and your website will come back up without anything done by you.
While you wait, learn the different 5xx server error codes.
What is a 5xx Server Error?
It’s when your browser tries to make a valid request to a server to load a website, but the host or server can’t actually complete the request to show the website on your computer.
And 5xx means any HTTP or HTTPS status code that starts with the number 5.
So errors could be 500, 502, 503, and more.
Why Do 5xx Server Errors Matter?
Because they can hurt your website’s user experience. If your site doesn’t load when your visitors try to access it, they might go to a different website.
Then you also lose trust in your website with those visitors because they don’t want to go back to a broken website.
Google and SEO
Also, if your site is consistently returning 5xx errors, Google crawlers could take notice of your downed website and rank you lower in search results.
Even worse, Google could de-index your pages so no one can find your website in search results.
What Are the Most Common 5xx Server Errors?
500 – Internal Server Error
501 – Not Implemented
502 – Bad Gateway
503 – Service Unavailable
504 – Gateway Timeout
505 – HTTP Version Not Supported
506 – Variant Also Negotiates
507 – Insufficient Storage
509 – Bandwidth Limit Exceeded
510 – Not Extended
524 – A Timeout Occurred
More on those errors later.
I am so sick of my website getting the 500 error! I need to switch hosting companies.
I had this happen to me and my host company just said to wait while they fix the problem.. very annoying.
Thanks for sharing.