Free tools to boost your SEO strategy
HTTP Header Checker
Inspect HTTP response headers for any URL. Check status codes, security headers, caching policies, and server configuration.
What are HTTP Headers and Why Should You Check Them?
HTTP response headers are metadata sent by a web server with every page response. They control caching behaviour, security policies, content types, and more. This free HTTP header checker inspects all response headers and evaluates critical security headers for any URL.
Security headers like Strict-Transport-Security (HSTS), Content-Security-Policy (CSP), and X-Content-Type-Options protect against common attacks like XSS, clickjacking, and MIME-type sniffing. Missing security headers leave your site vulnerable to exploitation.
Performance headers like Cache-Control and ETag affect how browsers cache your content. Proper cache headers reduce server load and improve page loading speed, which is a Google ranking factor. Use this tool to audit your server configuration and improve both security and SEO performance.
What is the HTTP Header Checker?
Inspect the HTTP response headers returned by any URL to diagnose server configuration, caching policies, security headers, and redirect behaviour. Understanding your headers is key to troubleshooting performance issues and ensuring your site meets modern web security standards.
Example: finding a missing cache-control header
Your CSS and JS files load slowly on repeat visits. The header checker reveals they’re served with “Cache-Control: no-store” — the browser re-downloads them every time. After switching to “Cache-Control: public, max-age=31536000, immutable” for hashed assets, repeat page loads drop from 3.1 s to 0.8 s.
Repeat load with no caching
Assets served from browser cache
From no-store to immutable
Key Features
Full Header Inspection
View every HTTP response header returned by the server, including status code, content type, caching directives, and custom headers.
Security Header Analysis
Check for important security headers like Content-Security-Policy, X-Frame-Options, Strict-Transport-Security (HSTS), and X-Content-Type-Options.
Cache Configuration
Verify your Cache-Control, ETag, and Expires headers to ensure optimal browser caching for faster repeat visits.
How to Use This Tool
Enter a URL
Paste any URL to inspect its HTTP response headers.
Review the headers
Examine each header returned by the server, organised by category.
Identify issues
Look for missing security headers, incorrect caching policies, or unexpected redirect behaviour.
Why This Matters for SEO
HTTP headers control how browsers and search engine crawlers interact with your server. Incorrect caching headers can cause stale content issues. Missing security headers leave your site vulnerable to attacks like clickjacking and XSS. Proper header configuration is a fundamental aspect of both web security and SEO technical health.