A 404 error is a frequent issue across many websites. Website owners often first discover this error through the “Not Found (404)” section of Google Search Console’s indexing report. Understanding the causes and impact of 404s will help you maintain a well-functioning site. By quickly addressing these errors, your business can prevent losing traffic and maintain user trust.

This guide explores key concepts related to “Page Not Found” errors, clarifying the difference between the 404 status code and the error page. It also explains how different types of 404s can affect your website’s SEO and user experience. We also cover how to find and fix 404s using free tools like Google Search Console and Screaming Frog.

How to Find and Fix 404 Errors

Broken Links on Your Site — These can be internal (links to your own pages) or external (where you link to other sites).
- Find: Use Screaming Frog to find these types of broken links.
- Fix: Update a broken link with the correct URL, or delete it if it’s no longer needed.
Broken Backlinks to Your Site — Links from other sites pointing to pages that no longer exist.
- Find: Go to Google Search Console > Pages > Indexing to check for “Not Found (404)” errors that Google’s crawlers have detected.
- Fix: If needed, use a 301 redirect to send users to a relevant page.

404 Errors and SEO

Not all 404 errors in Google Search Console require fixing. Google states: “Many (most?) 404 errors are not worth fixing because 404s don't harm your site's indexing or ranking.”

Google’s documentation explains: “404 responses are not necessarily a problem, if the page has been removed without any replacement. If your page has moved, use a 301 redirect to the new location.” Note that Google has offered the same straightforward advice for years.

While 404 errors don’t directly harm SEO, managing them is still important. Broken links can frustrate visitors, increase bounce rates, and damage trust. And valuable backlinks pointing to deleted pages can result in lost traffic if not redirected.

Maintaining a site with minimal errors reinforces professionalism and trustworthiness. When you take a broad view of integrated SEO and user experience, you realize details make a difference.

In addition to SEO concerns, site quality is important for compliance with programs like Google Ad Grants, which require your website to be free of broken links. Failing to meet their high-quality website requirements can affect your organization’s eligibility for the program.

What is a 404 Not Found Error?

A 404 error occurs when a user or search engine tries to access a webpage that does not exist on a server. This typically results in a “Page Not Found” message. There are two main components to a 404 error: the 404 status code and the 404 error page.

404 Status Code: The 404 status code is an HTTP response code sent by a server when a requested webpage cannot be found. It’s a technical signal used in the communication between browsers and servers. Repeated encounters with a 404 status can lead to the page being deindexed, potentially impacting a website’s visibility in search results.
404 Error Page: A 404 error page is the actual page displayed in the browser when a 404 status code is returned. This page informs the user that the requested page cannot be found. A well-designed 404 page can guide users to other parts of your website, minimizing the negative impact of the missing content.

Types of 404s and What To Do

404s can occur due to mistyped URLs or broken links. A link becomes broken when a page, image, or file is moved to a different URL without a proper redirect, or deleted altogether. Below are some common types of 404s you might encounter:

Internal links: Internal 404s occur when links within your own website point to pages or files that no longer exist.
These errors can appear in your Google Search Console “Not Found (404)” report, or be identified using free SEO tools like Screaming Frog. These broken links can negatively impact user experience and crawl efficiency. Promptly fix these errors by updating invalid links to point to the proper URL or removing the link.
External links: External 404s occur when your website links to outside resources on other websites that no longer exist or have moved without proper 301 redirects.
These errors won’t appear in Google Search Console, but you can find them with Screaming Frog. These 404s can harm user experience and the perceived quality and credibility of your site. Fix these by linking to a new resource or removing the link.
Note: Some website builders, such as Squarespace, use content delivery networks (CDNs) to store uploaded files like images, videos, or documents. If you remove a file from your asset manager, but it's still referenced on one of your pages, Screaming Frog might list it as an external 404 error since the file is hosted via a CDN.
Broken backlinks: If another website points to a nonexistent URL on your site, you’ll need to assess if it is an issue or not. Broken backlinks can be the result of mismanaged site migrations or redesigns.
Broken backlinks will display in your Google Search Console indexing report, and may or may not need to be addressed. These 404s can result in lost traffic if not redirected. If it is a legitimate broken backlink, then you’ll want to 301 redirect users to a relevant URL. If it is spam or an invalid URL, then serving a 404 is the correct response.

Many beginners are understandably confused by Google's 404 Not Found report because it says: “Done fixing? Validate fix,” but not every URL listed requires a fix. Note that Google may continue to try to crawl these URLs for a while, and there is no way to tell Google to stop crawling them, but over time they will be crawled less often.

Soft 404s

A soft 404 is when a page tells a user that the content does not exist yet returns a 200 (success) status code. What this often means is that you have a page with copy indicating “coming soon” or “launching next month” or similar—finish the page or set it to noindex. If your page does exist, then you’ve run up against a technical error that needs to be addressed. Note, Soft 404s will be listed separately from the Not Found (404) report.

Best Practices for Managing 404 Errors

To minimize the impact of 404 errors on your website, follow best practices to maintain a positive user experience:

Monitor and fix 404s: Use tools like Google Search Console and Screaming Frog to regularly check for broken links. Fix any non-working links by pointing to the correct URL or removing the link from within your content.
Redirect old or removed content: When removing or moving content, if applicable set up 301 redirects to guide users to relevant pages and to preserve any SEO value from existing backlinks.
Create a user-friendly 404 page: Your 404 error page should be designed to keep users on your site and improve overall user satisfaction.

Your Website’s 404 Page

Regarding your website’s 404 page, a common misconception is that a best practice is to simply redirect any 404 Not Found errors to your homepage. However, redirecting users to unrelated content can cause confusion—visitors may not realize that the content they were looking for no longer exists, leading to frustration.

A website’s 404 page should clearly signal to both users and search engines that content is no longer available. While many website builders have a built-in 404 page, you can create a custom 404 page if desired. If creating your own page, make sure to include helpful navigation options, such as links to the homepage or a search bar.

Conclusion

404 errors are an inevitable part of running a website, but understanding the difference between the status code itself and your website’s error page, as well as managing different types of 404s, is key to maintaining a strong online presence. By following best practices, you can mitigate any negative impact of 404s, enhance user experience, and ensure that your website remains fully functional.