Are 404 errors bad for SEO?
One of the most common issues website owners face when looking at their SEO performance is encountering 404 errors. While seeing many 404 errors in your Google Search Console can cause concern about your rankings, indexing, and overall performance, they are actually a normal part of the web.
It is important to know when you can ignore them, when you should implement redirects, and how to improve your user experience.
What is a 404 error?
A 404 error means that the page requested cannot be found. This is usually due to your webpage being deleted, a URL changing, or a product no longer being available.
If a user tries to visit an old blog or product which is no longer available they will see a 404 error.
Common causes of 404 errors:
Web pages or blog have been deleted.
Product no longer available.
URLs have changed, redirects have not been set up.
Internal links are broken.
User has typed in the wrong URL.
External websites are linking to out of date pages.
Whilst 404 errors aren’t necessarily a sign of technical SEO issues they will depend on the situation.
Do 404 errors negatively affect SEO?
Most of the time having 404 errors will not impact your rankings or cause any penalties from Google.
If Google’s crawler sees a real 404 it will know the page isn’t available. If the page stays in the 404 state Google will eventually remove the URL from their index.
This is completely normal as websites change all the time. Content will go out of date, products will no longer be available and pages will be deleted.
In most cases you won’t need to worry about every single 404 error in your Google Search Console. Focus on the ones that are impacting your users, backlinks, important landing pages and opportunities.
When should I fix 404 errors?
Whilst 404 errors are technically normal there are some instances where they should be fixed.
If an important product page has been deleted but is still getting traffic from search engines, adverts, or external links then users may leave your site.
Also if an important internal link is leading to a missing page your users may get frustrated.
Fixing the cause of the issue will improve your navigation, keep your important links valuable and help drive more conversions.
Should I redirect all my 404s to my homepage?
No, in most cases it is not a good idea to redirect all of your missing URLs to your homepage.
If a user follows a link to a specific product, article or service and gets redirected to your homepage this will cause confusion. They will not be going to the right place.
Google may also consider this a soft 404 error as it is not relevant.
Pick the right solution for each URL.
A simple 3 Step Solution to 404 errors
Redirect to a relevant page
If you have a missing webpage that can be redirected to a relevant page then do so.
Examples would include:
An old article has been updated.
A product has been taken off sale and has been replaced with a new version.
A page has been moved to a new URL.
If a page has been permanently moved to a new URL then a permanent redirect (301) is usually the best option.
If a page has been temporarily moved then a temporary redirect (302) may be the best option.
Redirect to a page which is relevant to the original page. Don’t redirect pages that are unrelated just to get rid of errors.
Keep as a 404 or 410
If a page has been permanently deleted and there is nothing to replace it then it is usually best to leave it as a 404 or 410.
A 404 means the resource couldn’t be found whereas a 410 means the resource is gone and is usually seen as permanently unavailable.
If a product has been taken off sale and there is no replacement or anything useful to replace it then there is no need to redirect it.
Leaving it as the correct error will help your search engine understand if the page is available.
You don’t need to create any replacement content.
Custom 404 Page
Whilst you may want to leave some URLs as 404s you can create a helpful custom 404 page for your users.
Try to make it clear to them what they can do next.
A helpful 404 page can include:
Friendly message explaining that the page couldn’t be found.
Search box to help them find the information they need.
Link to your homepage.
Popular categories to help them find the relevant products/services or sections.
Recommended content.
Contact information.
A good 404 page will help reduce any frustration for your users and encourage them to explore your website further.
Do 404 errors affect crawl budget?
A common misconception with SEO is that having thousands of 404 errors will negatively impact your crawl budget.
There is no reason why a 404 error would cause crawl budget issues. Google will understand that pages may be missing and having a real 404 response will not cause any concern.
However, there are some issues to be aware of.
Understanding 404, 500 and 429 errors.
Error Code Meaning Recommendation
404 Not Found The page couldn’t be found. Fix if needed, redirect to relevant page or leave as 404.
410 Gone The resource has been permanently removed. Use when the content has been deliberately and permanently removed.
301 Moved Permanently The resource has been permanently moved. Redirect to the correct replacement.
302 Found The resource is temporarily available. Use for the correct temporary redirect.
500 Internal Server Error There was an unexpected problem with the server. Try to resolve the issue quickly.
429 Too Many Requests The server is limiting requests. Check your request levels, rate limiting and server capacity.
Repeated 5xx errors may cause Google to crawl your site slower as the server may be having issues responding. Similarly, 429 errors may cause Google to crawl your site slower to prevent overloading the server.
Focus on fixing any ongoing server errors and request limiting issues.
How to handle 404 errors in Google Search Console
Google Search Console can help you find any URLs that Google have tried to crawl but couldn’t.
Look through the following:
Go to Google Search Console and select your website.
Go to page indexing.
Look through the list of URLs which have issues such as not found.
Check if the URL has been intentionally removed.
Identify any broken internal links, outdated backlinks or important pages with incorrect URLs.
Set up any relevant redirects or add the missing content.
Monitor to ensure any important issues are fixed.
Not every URL will need to be fixed. Focus on the ones that are impacting your valuable pages.
Best Practice
To keep your website running smoothly and avoid any issues with users:
Ensure important URLs and internal links are working.
Redirect any permanently moved pages.
Don’t redirect any unrelated URLs to your homepage.
Leave any permanently removed pages with the correct HTTP status.
Create a useful custom 404 page.
Be careful with any 5xx errors and 429 errors.
Check any important backlinks that are leading to missing pages.
Update any internal links when URLs change.
Don’t create unnecessary redirects.
Conclusion
404 errors are a normal part of managing your website. Whilst they won’t cause any damage to your SEO rankings or cause any penalties from Google it is important to know when to ignore them and when to fix them.
If there is a relevant replacement for the page then redirect it. If there is no relevant replacement as the content is gone for good then leaving it as a real 404 or 410 is usually fine. Create a helpful custom 404 page to help your users when they land on a missing page. Ensure they can search and have useful navigation.
The aim is to keep your website running smoothly with no technical issues. Protect your users and fix any issues that are really causing problems for your business.
