Repository: vercel/next.js
Pull request: Add not-found.js / notFound() links to Status Codes section

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### What?

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### What?

Add links to the helpful [Status Codes section of the `loading.js` docs page](https://nextjs.org/docs/app/api-reference/file-conventions/loading#status-codes) from the [`not-found.js`](https://nextjs.org/docs/app/api-reference/file-conventions/not-found) and [`notFound()`](https://nextjs.org/docs/app/api-reference/functions/not-found) docs pages

### Why?

To avoid misunderstandings that the streamed HTTP 200 responses are negatively affecting SEO, as posited in such articles:

- https://matthewmorek.com/journal/how-to-fix-next-js-notfound-returning-200-ok-with-app-router-and-suspense

It is mentioned in the `loading.js` docs as well as @ztanner's comment here:

- https://github.com/vercel/next.js/issues/45801#issuecomment-2104816811

But not yet on the `not-found.js` or `notFound()` docs pages:

<img width="1439" height="629" alt="Screenshot 2026-01-09 at 17 16 24" src="https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/5a2c9edf-1c28-4ae5-ab6e-08ac5ea703f7" />
<img width="1440" height="538" alt="Screenshot 2026-01-09 at 17 16 41" src="https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/e83d3dbd-b175-4375-8aa2-311744d2daf2" />


### How?

Add some small edits

### Alternatives considered

1. Duplicating the Status Codes content to the `not-found.js` and `notFound()` pages so it's accessible in all 3 places
   1. Copying and pasting the whole section
   2. Making it a "partial" or "include" which can be used in both places
2. Moving the "Status Codes" (and maybe "SEO") section(s) out of the `loading.js` page into a separate docs page

But both of those options require a bit more work and thinking.

Changed files:
filename: docs/01-app/03-api-reference/03-file-conventions/not-found.mdx
patch: @@ -10,7 +10,7 @@ Next.js provides two conventions to handle not found cases:
 
 ## `not-found.js`
 
-The **not-found** file is used to render UI when the [`notFound`](/docs/app/api-reference/functions/not-found) function is thrown within a route segment. Along with serving a custom UI, Next.js will return a `200` HTTP status code for streamed responses, and `404` for non-streamed responses.
+The **not-found** file is used to render UI when the [`notFound`](/docs/app/api-reference/functions/not-found) function is thrown within a route segment. Along with serving a custom UI, Next.js will return a `200` HTTP status code for streamed responses, and `404` for non-streamed responses (see [Status Codes](/docs/app/api-reference/file-conventions/loading#status-codes) for details about SEO).
 
 ```tsx filename="app/not-found.tsx" switcher
 import Link from 'next/link'

filename: docs/01-app/03-api-reference/04-functions/not-found.mdx
patch: @@ -3,7 +3,7 @@ title: notFound
 description: API Reference for the notFound function.
 ---
 
-The `notFound` function allows you to render the [`not-found file`](/docs/app/api-reference/file-conventions/not-found) within a route segment as well as inject a `<meta name="robots" content="noindex" />` tag.
+The `notFound` function allows you to render the [`not-found file`](/docs/app/api-reference/file-conventions/not-found) within a route segment as well as inject a [`<meta name="robots" content="noindex" />`](/docs/app/api-reference/file-conventions/loading#status-codes) tag for search engines.
 
 ## `notFound()`