404

404 error in plain English

A 404 is the HTTP status code for "not found". A server returns it when someone requests a URL that doesn't exist. A 410 ("gone") is similar but signals a deliberate, permanent removal. Google explains in its HTTP status code guidance that 404s for URLs that never existed, or that you removed deliberately, are normal and don't hurt the rest of your site.

How to check a 404 error on your site

Search Console's page indexing report lists URLs returning "Not found (404)". Focus on those with internal links or links from other sites. A crawler shows broken links within your own pages. Then try a made-up address on your site to make sure it really returns a 404 status and a helpful page.

A worked example

A bakery reorganises its site and the "wedding cakes" page moves. A wedding blog that linked to the old page now sends couples to a 404. Spotting it in Search Console, the bakery adds a redirect to the new page. It also improves its 404 page with links to popular sections and a search box.

Where it usually goes wrong

• Trying to "fix" every 404 Google reports, including junk URLs that never existed.
• Redirecting all 404s to the home page.
• Leaving broken internal links in menus and footers.
• Serving an error message with a 200 status, which creates a soft 404.

Why a small site should care

404s become a problem when they hit pages people actually want: a service page that was renamed, a product that moved, or an old URL that other sites still link to. Visitors arriving from a link or a bookmark hit a dead end, and any value from those links is lost.

Connected technical terms

• Soft 404: A URL that returns 200 but looks empty or erroneous to Google.
• Redirect: Sending users and crawlers from one URL to another.
• 301 redirect: A permanent redirect, commonly used in migrations.
• Orphan page: A page with no internal links pointing to it.