You might have come across a 500 Internal Server Error while accessing a specific website. As a website visitor, you can disregard it, but as a website administrator, you have to get relief from it as soon as feasible.
In this article, you will know the various reasons why this error arises and how to stay away from it.
Also, you will know the importance of a consistent web hosting server to enhance the website uptime by avoiding this error. If 500 HTTP error occurs frequently, then it results in the bad reputation of your business.
It also affects your SEO rankings and leads to losing the trust of your brand among visitors. Therefore, it is recommended to avoid this error and understand how to troubleshoot.
This error happens due to the issues in website configuration, whereas occasionally, it may also be because of problems at the server that might be ahead of your control.
What is the 500 Server Error?
The server checks with a code for each request from a web browser, and out of different status codes, 5xx codes are associated with the Web Server. The first digit in this error ‘5’ corresponds to a server-side, with similar codes ranging from 500 to 510.
These codes specify that the server fails in the request completion process, as the server comes across an error. The 500 Internal Server Error is not related to your computer, internet connection, or browser, but it relates to something happening to the website.
The error makes you annoyed because it doesn’t offer any information about the reason for the server error.
The primary thing you must know is that "Internal Server Error" can be resolved only by fixing the Web server software. There are few causes for this error to occur, and 500 Internal Server Error messages are customized by each website to display in several ways.
Shown are a few regular ways you may see this problem:
Methods to Solve the 500 Error
If you come across a 500 error, it specifies that a few areas of the web-server are not configured appropriately. Also, this means that the application was trying something, but the server could not complete the request because of restrictions or conflicts.
This problem can be solved by fixing the software of the Web server and resolved by the administrators of the server. These web site administrators can find and analyze the logs to know the reason for the error. However, there are many ways to get around the issue swiftly.
Tips to Troubleshoot Internal Server Error
- 1First, you have to keep all the plug-ins and themes updated. The old version creates issues and is more affected by security threats like hacking and malware.
- 2Regularly get backups of your website files and database. Use a high-quality plug-in to easily restore the website for the preferred version and to take regular backups.
- 3Increase the memory limit of your PHP script.
- 4It is recommended to use a greatly reliable server.
- 5It has been advised to use high-security plug-ins that help to audit and scan your website frequently.
- 6It is suggested to use reliable plug-ins and trusted themes only, which offer good support.
HTTP 500 Internal Error on Linux
The 500 error occurs in Linux OS as well but is easy to troubleshoot if the error occurs due to any PERL or CGI script. Also, the reason for the error could be the incorrect versions of Apache and PHP. In these cases, you have to recompile Apache or upgrade PHP. In Apache, you will get the error log, as shown below.
/usr/local/apache/logs/error_logDoes HTTP 500 Error Affect SEO Rankings?
The availability time of a website will determine search engine rankings.
So if the website goes down for longer and numerous times, the SEO ranking will go down. Google makes every effort to offer a better user experience for the visitors, and if many users come across these issues, then Google will downgrade the rank of your website.
Therefore, it is highly important to take HTTP 500 Error seriously and continuously monitor the website.
Google Analytics, Search Console helps you to know how many website users have faced this error. In addition to the visitor’s experience, Google crawlers crawl through the website frequently and affect the rankings, if the website is not available for a constant time.
HTTP Error 500 (Resolved) The Page is Not Working
Conclusion
The seriousness of the HTTP 500 Error depends on the interval of occurrence and the reason for the error.
If an error occurs in website files or configuration, then you are required to solve it or take a technical professional’s assistance. Otherwise, if an error occurs regularly due to issues with the server’s software or hardware, then you are required to upgrade for more reliable performance.
