Ever tried ordering Chicken Tenders in a 100% veg restaurant? They won’t accept your order, right? This is similar to a 400 error in web development. When you make an invalid request, it’s like trying to order non-vegetarian food in a vegetarian restaurant.
Here are the features of the 400 Status Code:
- 400 status code is known as a “Bad Request” error.
- It is a client-side error.
What are the causes of encountering the 400 Status Code?
A 400 Bad Request error code indicates that the server couldn’t process a request due to a client-side issue. Common causes include:
- Mistyping the URL in the address bar, such as typos, missing or invalid characters, or illegal characters.
- An outdated DNS cache or excessive cookies in the web browser. Clearing browsing data or cookies may help.
- Uploading files that are larger than the server’s maximum upload size.
- Misconfigured server settings or web application firewalls.
- An unstable or non-working internet connection.
How to fix the “400 Bad Request” Error?
Never type the wrong domain address
Imagine a friend has invited you to his place and has sent you the address: G43, Cambridge Road, London. However, you accidentally entered the house number as G35, H34 instead of G43. In this case, you wouldn’t find your friend at that location. The correct address is crucial for reaching your destination; the same principle applies to servers.
Making a small mistake, such as a typo in the address bar, can lead you to a website you didn’t intend to visit. If the address you type is not on the server, you’ll receive a 400-Bad Request error, which clearly indicates that you’ve made a simple error.
Malformed URL structure
URLs can be structured in a specific way. If you enter the wrong URL, you may receive a 400 Bad Request error.
Here are some essential things to keep in mind:
- Although using special characters in the URL is allowed, avoiding having two special characters consecutively within the string is crucial, as this can cause an error. Being aware of this can help you prevent such issues.
- Additionally, do not use any “unsafe” or “unwise characters” such as “$,” “[,” “],” or “|.”
- By the way, there are tools like encoders and decoders that can assist you in identifying URL-related problems.
Clear Browser Cache or Cookies
Having a cache in the browser can cause “HTTP Error 400” related to outdated, corrupt, or saved cached files. You can fix this by clearing cookies and cache.
Try turning off the extensions
If you’re having trouble accessing a website in regular mode, try it in incognito mode. If the site works in incognito mode but not in regular mode, the issue is likely with your browser cache.
Try turning browser extensions off
Often, a problem on the user’s end is not caused by the user, but rather by the browser extensions being used. You can easily determine this by trying to access the site with all extensions enabled and then trying again with all extensions disabled. If the issue is resolved when the extensions are turned off, you can be confident that the extensions are causing the errors.
Check the file size
Often, a problem on the user’s end is not caused by the user but rather by the browser extensions used. You can quickly determine this by trying to access the site with all extensions enabled and then trying again with all extensions disabled. If the issue is resolved when the extensions are turned off, you can be confident that the extensions are causing the errors.
Check Internet Connection
If you’ve diligently followed all the troubleshooting steps and are still encountering 400 Error Bad, you’ve made significant progress. There is a strong chance that the issue is with your internet connection. To confirm this, try switching to mobile and accessing the 3G/4G or 5G network. If you’re not encountering an error on your mobile, but you were encountering the same on your desktop, then the issue is definitely with the internet connection.
Can Error 400 Impact Your SEO Performance?
It would be inaccurate to claim that 400 errors do not affect SEO performance, as they in fact do. User experience (UX) is an integral part of SEO, and 400 errors significantly degrade the UX. Therefore, it’s important to ensure that your website has a minimum of 400 request errors. There are many tools available in the market to help you achieve this.
Conclusion
It would be inaccurate to claim that 400 errors do not affect SEO performance, as they in fact do. User experience (UX) is an integral part of SEO, and 400 errors significantly degrade the UX. Therefore, it’s important to ensure that your website has minimal 400 request errors. There are many tools available in the market to help you achieve this.