DEVELOPER UTILITIES
HTTP Header Analyzer
Response headers are invisible on the page but decide a lot: whether search engines may index it, how long it is cached, and how well the browser is protected. This check fetches the URL and lists every header with plain-language checks on the important ones.
- Checks the live page
- Public addresses only
- Free, no sign-up
- CheckX-Robots-Tag noindex or none
- CheckContent-Type and character set
- CheckStrict-Transport-Security and its max-age
- CheckX-Content-Type-Options, framing protection and Content-Security-Policy
Free
no sign-up
Live
fetched when you run the check
6 checks
what the tool looks at
30 a minute
checks per visitor, to keep it free
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HOW IT WORKS
How to use the HTTP Header Analyzer
One public URL.
Enter the URL of a page, image or file.
Read the checks, then the full header list below them.
Change headers in your server, CDN or caching plugin settings.
WHAT IT CHECKS
What it looks at, and how to read it.
All response headers (without cookies) and checks on X-Robots-Tag, content type, HSTS, nosniff, framing, CSP, referrer policy, caching and version leaks.
What it checks
- X-Robots-Tag noindex or none
- Content-Type and character set
- Strict-Transport-Security and its max-age
- X-Content-Type-Options, framing protection and Content-Security-Policy
- Referrer-Policy and Cache-Control
- Server and X-Powered-By version numbers
How to read the results
- A noindex in X-Robots-Tag removes the page from Google even when the HTML looks fine.
- Missing security headers are worth adding, but are not a ranking factor on their own.
- Cache-Control is shown as sent; whether it suits the page depends on how often it changes.
The concepts behind it, in the SEO glossary: Noindex, HTTP status codes, Time to First Byte.
GOOD TO KNOW
Common mistakes, an example and the limits.
Common mistakes
- A noindex header left by a staging or cache rule.
- HSTS with a very short max-age, which lapses between visits.
- Sending no character set, so some text shows as garbled symbols.
A worked example
A PDF price list never appears in Google. The header check shows X-Robots-Tag: noindex, set for all PDFs by the hosting control panel.
Limitations
- Headers can differ by visitor, country or CDN edge; this is one response, fetched without cookies.
- Security headers are checked for presence and basic values, not a full audit of your policies.
FAQ
Questions about the HTTP Header Analyzer
Straight answers about what it does and where its limits are.
Why are cookies not shown?
Set-Cookie headers are dropped by the API so no session data from the site is passed on. Everything else the server sent is listed.
Do security headers help SEO?
Not directly. HTTPS is a light ranking signal, and headers like HSTS protect visitors; X-Robots-Tag is the header that affects indexing.
Need this for a whole website, over time?
The NdovuSEOLabs platform connects your own Search Console, analytics and server logs, and audits every page on a schedule.