Google’s 5xx error, for which it blames website owners (technical explanation)

When the website owner removes AMP, their system correctly reverts to the standard HTML/PHP structure. The content is accessible, canonical links are clean, and the server is working flawlessly. This is the expected behavior and complies with all relevant specifications. However, Google returns a 5xx error, which is not technically covered because it still wants to display external content on its domain.

So: The problem is not on the websites that Google accuses of having an error. Namely, Google continues to try to access AMP URLs that it created, indexed, and cached itself in its AMP cache system. Since these URLs are no longer there after AMP removal, Google’s own server returns 5xx errors. Search Console manipulates this as an “error on the owner’s site” and unnecessarily alarms them, even though technically it is an error in their infrastructure, which is trying to access a non-existent path. A 5xx error means that the server processing the request is not working properly. In this case, it is not the site owner’s server, but Google’s AMP cache. The incorrect attribution of the error is therefore the result of faulty behavior on their part, not on the publisher’s part.

Alienated content and the responsibility of the system that stores it

Another important technical aspect should be highlighted here: AMP cache copies are not content hosted by the website owner. These are copies that Google automatically creates, stores on its servers, and then displays under its own URL. This means that Google temporarily has access to copyrighted content that does not belong to it and has cloned the author’s domain.

A system that takes over foreign content and distributes it under its own domain should be expected to have a mechanism in place for cases where the site owner removes AMP support. The minimum standard would be for Google to automatically redirect users to the original page from which the content originated when the AMP cache copy is removed. This is basic technical hygiene and standard practice for any system that manages content copies.

Instead, Google keeps outdated copies, tries to serve them, returns 5xx errors, and then… full article  Google’s 5xx error, for which it blames website owners (technical explanation) | How Shift Project >>