# 201 Created: confirming a new resource

> 201 Created confirms that a request succeeded and created a new resource, which the Location header usually identifies.

URL: https://yes-seo.com/http-status-codes/201

**201 Created** confirms that a request succeeded and created something new: an account, an order, an uploaded file, a record in an API. It’s a status for write operations, and the response should point to the new resource.

## Definition

[RFC 9110, section 15.3.2](https://www.rfc-editor.org/rfc/rfc9110#section-15.3.2) says the request “has been fulfilled and has resulted in one or more new resources being created.” The main new resource is identified by the `Location` header or, if there’s none, by the request URL. The body typically describes the new resource and links to it. A 201 usually answers POST (create inside a collection) or PUT (create at a URL the client chose).

```
POST /api/v1/articles HTTP/1.1
Host: api.example.com
Content-Type: application/json

{"title":"HTTP status codes for SEO"}

HTTP/1.1 201 Created
Location: /api/v1/articles/4821
Content-Type: application/json

{"id":4821,"title":"HTTP status codes for SEO","status":"draft"}
```

If the work isn’t finished yet, [202 Accepted](https://yes-seo.com/http-status-codes/202) is more honest. If the resource already exists, consider [409 Conflict](https://yes-seo.com/http-status-codes/409); if the input fails validation, [422 Unprocessable Content](https://yes-seo.com/http-status-codes/422).

## SEO impact

Pages meant for search should answer GET with [200 OK](https://yes-seo.com/http-status-codes/200), not 201. [Google’s documentation](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/crawling-indexing/http-network-errors) says that for 201 and 202, Googlebot waits for content for a limited time and then passes whatever it received to the indexing pipeline. So a page served with 201 may still be processed, but the status points to a routing or code mistake, for example a controller written for creating records being reused to render a public page. Fix it rather than relying on Google’s tolerance.

## Developer tips

- Always send `Location` with the URL of the new resource.

- Return the created representation in the body to save the client a second request.

- Make create endpoints safe to retry, for example with an idempotency key, so a repeated request doesn’t create duplicates.

## How to check

Run public URLs through the [HTTP status checker](https://yes-seo.com/http-status-checker); anything other than 200 on an indexable page deserves a look. For API endpoints, curl with `-i` prints the status line and the `Location` header:

```
curl -i -X POST https://api.example.com/v1/articles \
  -H 'Content-Type: application/json' -d '{"title":"Draft"}'
```

## Frequently asked questions

### What is the difference between 200 and 201?

200 OK is a general success. 201 Created specifically says a new resource was created, and it usually includes a Location header with that resource’s URL.

### Should a 201 response include a body?

It doesn’t have to, but it usually should: a description of the new resource or the resource itself, plus a link to it. That saves the client an extra request.

### Can a web page return 201 to Googlebot?

It shouldn’t. Google says it waits a limited time for 201 content and then processes what it got, but public pages should return 200. A 201 on a GET request usually means a routing bug.