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HTTP Header Viewer & Reference View and understand HTTP headers with SEO-relevant explanations for each header.

HTTP Header Viewer illustration
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HTTP Header Viewer

View and understand HTTP headers with SEO-relevant explanations for each header.

1

Paste HTTP headers

Paste raw HTTP response headers or enter header names to look up.

2

Review explanations

Each header is explained with its SEO relevance and best practices.

3

Check recommendations

See recommended values for SEO-critical headers.

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What Is HTTP Header Viewer?

The HTTP Header Viewer provides a detailed reference for HTTP response headers with SEO-specific explanations. HTTP headers control how browsers and search engine crawlers interact with your pages — from caching behavior and security to crawler directives and redirect handling. Understanding headers like X-Robots-Tag, Cache-Control, Content-Type, and Strict-Transport-Security is essential for technical SEO. This tool parses and explains each header with its impact on search engine crawling and indexing.

Why Use HTTP Header Viewer?

  • Detailed explanations for every common HTTP response header
  • SEO-specific guidance for crawler-relevant headers
  • Identifies missing security headers and their SEO implications
  • Reference for X-Robots-Tag, canonical, and hreflang HTTP headers
  • Recommendations for optimal header configuration

Common Use Cases

Technical SEO

Verify crawler-relevant headers are properly configured.

Security Audits

Check for missing security headers that affect SEO.

Caching Strategy

Optimize cache headers for better page speed scores.

Debugging

Diagnose crawling and indexing issues from header responses.

Technical Guide

SEO-critical HTTP headers include: X-Robots-Tag (controls indexing per URL without meta tags), Link (for canonical and hreflang via HTTP headers), Cache-Control (affects page speed and crawl efficiency), Content-Type (ensures proper character encoding), Strict-Transport-Security (HSTS for HTTPS enforcement), and Status codes (200, 301, 302, 404, 410, 503). The X-Robots-Tag header can include noindex, nofollow, noarchive, nosnippet, and max-snippet directives. It's especially useful for non-HTML resources (PDFs, images) that can't have meta robots tags.

Tips & Best Practices

  • 1
    Use X-Robots-Tag for controlling indexing of PDFs and non-HTML files
  • 2
    Set proper Cache-Control headers for better PageSpeed scores
  • 3
    Implement HSTS header to enforce HTTPS across your entire site
  • 4
    Use HTTP Link header for canonical and hreflang on non-HTML resources
  • 5
    Return 410 (Gone) instead of 404 for permanently removed pages

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Frequently Asked Questions

Q What is X-Robots-Tag?
An HTTP header that controls search engine indexing per URL. It supports the same directives as meta robots (noindex, nofollow, etc.) but works for any file type, not just HTML.
Q Why are HTTP headers important for SEO?
Headers control crawling (X-Robots-Tag, robots), caching (Cache-Control for page speed), security (HSTS for HTTPS), and redirects (Location for 301/302).

About This Tool

HTTP Header Viewer is a free online tool by FreeToolkit.ai. All processing happens directly in your browser — your data never leaves your device. No registration or installation required.