Understanding 404 Errors and Their Impact on SEO

What is a 404 Error?

A 404 error (also called "404 Not Found") is an HTTP status code that tells browsers and search engines that the requested page doesn't exist on the server. When a user or search engine crawler visits a URL that returns a 404, they see an error page instead of the content they expected.

Common causes of 404 errors include:

• Deleted pages - Content that was removed without a redirect
• Changed URLs - Page URLs modified during a site redesign
• Typos in links - Incorrectly typed URLs in content or navigation
• Broken external links - Other sites linking to pages that no longer exist

How 404 Errors Affect Your Website

1. Lost Link Equity

When external sites link to a page that returns 404, that valuable "link juice" is wasted. These backlinks could be boosting your rankings, but instead they point to nothing.

2. Wasted Crawl Budget

Search engine bots have limited time to crawl your site. Every 404 they encounter wastes crawl budget that could be spent indexing important pages.

3. Poor User Experience

Users who land on 404 pages often leave immediately (bounce). High bounce rates signal to search engines that your site may not provide value.

How to Find 404 Errors on Your Site

The fastest way to identify 404 errors is using a bulk URL status checker. Instead of manually checking each page, you can test hundreds of URLs at once.

Other methods to find 404 errors:

• Google Search Console - Check the "Coverage" report for 404 errors
• Server logs - Review access logs for 404 responses
• Site crawlers - Tools like Screaming Frog can crawl your entire site

How to Fix 404 Errors

Option 1: Implement 301 Redirects

The best solution for most 404s is a 301 redirect to the most relevant existing page. This preserves link equity and sends users to useful content.

Add this to your .htaccess file (Apache):

Redirect 301 /old-page.html https://yoursite.com/new-page.html

Option 2: Restore the Content

If the page was accidentally deleted or the URL was changed unintentionally, restore the original content or URL structure.

Option 3: Create a Custom 404 Page

For URLs that legitimately don't exist, create a helpful custom 404 page that:

• Explains the page wasn't found
• Provides a search box
• Links to popular pages or categories
• Matches your site's design

When 404 Errors Are Acceptable

Not all 404s need fixing. It's normal to have some 404s for:

• Old promotional pages that are no longer relevant
• Typo URLs that people guess incorrectly
• Test pages that were never meant to be public

Focus on fixing 404s that have backlinks, receive traffic, or were important pages.

404 vs 410: Which Should You Use?

While 404 means "not found," a 410 status code means "gone" - the page existed but was intentionally removed. Use 410 when you want to tell search engines to stop looking for a page permanently.

Learn more about 410 Gone status code →