How to Fix the HTTP 501 Not Implemented Error in 2022

June 12, 2022
Cloudways Managed Cloud Hosting Platform
Hosting, WordPress
0 Comments

The HTTP 501 status code is an uncommon WordPress error. Also known as the HTTP 501 not implemented error, it is not like a 404 or 301 error that you would more regularly see in the WordPress ecosystem.

The HTTP 501 not implemented error is a server-based indication that the server cannot fulfill the request because it doesn’t support the functionality.

The 501 error might affect your website SEO in the long term – Google sees it as an offline error, as we’ll discuss in this piece. Here, I’ll discuss the 501 Not Implemented error, its causes, and how you can fix it using four methods.

What is the HTTP 501 Not Implemented Error?

When you see the 501 not implemented error, you can assume something has gone wrong on the back-end of your website. This denies your GET request because the server actually can’t perform it.

Due to the variety of the web browsers, web servers, and operating systems, a 501 not implemented error can present differently for you. But no matter what the variation, they all mean the same thing. Here are some of the ways it might present itself:

“Error 501”
“HTTP 501”
“501 Not Implemented”
“HTTP Error 501 Not implemented”

The HTTP 501 error often appears when the hosting server gets offline or unavailable, which means the server is legitimately unable to perform the request. It might significantly impact your website ranking when your website server is down.

How HTTP 501 Error Impacts SEO

If your site is down for 10 minutes, you should be fine even if Google crawls it. But if it goes on for hours, it could impact your SEO rankings. The 501 not implemented error is not like the 503 error, which tells Google to check the website back again later. Google might then see the error as a site-level issue, which could lead to a dip in your rankings.