Technical Seo
404 Error
An HTTP status code indicating that the requested page doesn't exist on the server. It means the URL was valid at some point or was never set up, and the server can't find the resource.
Why 404 Error Matters for SEO
A few 404s are normal, but large numbers of them signal a poorly maintained site. They waste crawl budget, break user experience, and if external backlinks point to 404 pages, you're losing link equity that could be powering your rankings.
How 404 Error Works
When a user or bot requests a URL that doesn't exist, the server returns a 404 status code. Search engines will eventually drop 404 pages from the index. You should either redirect 404 URLs to relevant pages (if they had value) or return a custom 404 page that helps users navigate.
Common Mistakes
- Returning a soft 404 (200 status code on an empty page) instead of a real 404
- Not monitoring 404s in Google Search Console regularly
- Redirecting all 404s to the homepage instead of relevant alternatives
Want to go deeper?
Read the full guide: Broken Links →
Sources & Further Reading: