What Is a 404 Error?
A 404 error (Page Not Found) is an HTTP status code that means the server could not find the requested page. When a user or search engine bot tries to access a URL that does not exist, the server returns a 404 response.
Common Causes
- Deleted pages — the page was removed but links to it still exist
- Changed URLs — the URL structure changed without setting up redirects
- Typos in links — a link was typed incorrectly
- Expired content — temporary pages that were removed
- Moved domain — site migrated without proper redirects
How 404 Errors Hurt SEO
- Lost link equity — any backlinks pointing to the 404 page are wasted
- Wasted crawl budget — Googlebot spends time on dead pages instead of real content
- Poor user experience — visitors who hit 404s are likely to leave your site
- Lost traffic — pages that once ranked and brought visitors now show errors
How to Find 404 Errors
- Broken link checker — scans any page for links returning 404
- Google Search Console — the Pages report shows URLs returning 404
- Site audit — crawl your entire sitemap to find broken pages
How to Fix 404 Errors
- Set up a 301 redirect — redirect the old URL to the closest matching live page
- Restore the page — if it was deleted by mistake, put it back
- Update internal links — change any links pointing to the 404 URL
- Create a useful 404 page — include search, navigation, and popular pages
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Last updated: March 2026