Technical SEO · Beginner

404 error

A 404 error is the status a server returns when a page doesn't exist. Occasional 404s are normal, but broken links to them waste visitors and the value of links, and important pages should never return one.

By Thryv StudioUpdated

Level
Beginner
Also called
Not found
Status code
404 Not Found (410 Gone for deliberate removals)
Found in
Search Console and link checkers

What is a 404 error?

A 404 tells browsers and crawlers there's nothing at the address. It happens when a page is deleted or moved without a redirect, or when a link is mistyped. A 410 means the page was removed on purpose.

Do 404s hurt SEO?

A 404 for a page that shouldn't exist is correct and doesn't harm the rest of the site. The problems are:

  • Internal links pointing to 404s, which waste visitors and crawls.
  • Deleted pages that still have valuable backlinks.
  • Important pages returning 404 by mistake.

How to handle them

  1. Fix internal links to point at live pages.
  2. Redirect removed pages that have backlinks or traffic to their closest replacement.
  3. Serve a helpful 404 page with search and key links, with a real 404 status.

Frequently asked questions

Should I redirect every 404 to the home page?

No. Google may treat those redirects as soft 404s. Redirect only to genuinely relevant pages.

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