A 404 error code means the server could not find the page requested. 404s are a normal part of the web and Google does not penalise a site for having them. They become an SEO problem when the missing page had traffic, rankings or backlinks, or when your own internal links point to it. Fix those cases by restoring the page or adding a 301 redirect to the closest relevant page, and leave genuinely dead URLs to return 404 or 410.
On this page
Every site collects 404 errors over time. Pages are deleted, URLs change, other sites link to addresses that never existed. Most of these do no harm. A few quietly cost you traffic and link value. This guide shows how to tell them apart and what to do about each.
What is a 404 error code?
404 is an HTTP status code. When a browser or search engine crawler requests a URL, the server replies with a code: 200 means the page was found, 301 means it has moved permanently, and 404 means “Not Found”, that is, nothing exists at that address.
Do 404 errors hurt SEO?
Not by themselves. Google has said for years that 404s are expected and that a site is not ranked lower because some of its URLs return 404. A missing page simply drops out of the index.
They do cause harm in four situations:
- The page had rankings or traffic. Once it returns 404, those rankings are lost.
- The page had backlinks. Links pointing to a 404 pass no value to the rest of your site.
- Your own pages link to it. Broken internal links frustrate visitors and waste crawl activity.
- An important page breaks by accident. A bad release or migration can turn live product or service pages into 404s overnight.
404 vs soft 404 vs 410
| Response | What it means | When to use it |
|---|---|---|
| 404 Not Found | Nothing exists at this URL | Default for pages that are gone with no replacement |
| 410 Gone | The page was removed on purpose and will not return | Content you have deliberately retired. Google treats it much like a 404. |
| Soft 404 | The page says “not found” or is empty, but the server returns 200 | Never. It is a misconfiguration that confuses search engines. |
| 301 redirect | The page has moved permanently to a new URL | When a close equivalent exists |
Redirecting every missing URL to the home page is not a fix. Google generally treats an irrelevant redirect as a soft 404, and visitors land somewhere that does not answer their need.
How to find 404 errors
- Google Search Console. Open the Page indexing report and look at “Not found (404)” and “Soft 404”. See our Search Console guide.
- A site crawl. Screaming Frog or Sitebulb lists every internal link that points to a 404, with the page it sits on.
- A backlink tool. The “broken backlinks” report shows external links pointing to missing pages.
- Analytics. In GA4, filter page titles for your 404 page’s title to see which missing URLs real visitors hit.
- Server logs. Show every 404 request, including those from crawlers.
How to fix 404 errors
Work through the list in order of value: pages with backlinks and traffic first.
- Was it removed by mistake? Restore the page at the same URL.
- Is there a close replacement? Add a 301 redirect to it. Redirect to the most relevant page, not the nearest category by default.
- Is it linked from your own site? Update the internal links to point straight to the correct URL, even if you also add a redirect.
- Is it a typo in an external link? Redirect the mistyped URL if it gets visits, or ask the linking site to correct it.
- Is it gone for good with no equivalent? Leave it returning 404 or 410, and remove it from your XML sitemap.
Get a prioritised action plan from our specialists, free.
What a good 404 page includes
- A real 404 status code in the response, not 200.
- A clear message that the page cannot be found.
- Your normal header, navigation and footer.
- A search box and links to your most useful pages.
- A way to report the problem or contact you.
- Tracking, so you can see which URLs trigger it.
Preventing 404 errors
- Map every old URL to a new one before a redesign or migration, and test the redirects.
- Avoid changing URLs unless there is a strong reason.
- When you retire a product or post, decide at that moment whether to redirect or remove it.
- Crawl the site monthly for broken internal links.
- Keep the XML sitemap limited to live, indexable URLs.
- Check Search Console after each release for a spike in “Not found” pages.
When to bring in an SEO service
A handful of 404s can be fixed in an afternoon. Professional help is worth it when a migration has produced thousands of them, when rankings fell after a redesign, when you have many broken backlinks to reclaim, or when soft 404s point to a template or server problem. A technical SEO team will crawl the site, prioritise URLs by lost value, build the redirect map and monitor recovery.
Frequently asked questions
What does a 404 error code mean?
It is the HTTP status code a server returns when it cannot find anything at the requested URL.
Do 404 errors hurt SEO?
Not on their own. They cost you when the missing page had rankings, traffic or backlinks, or when your own internal links point to it.
Should I redirect all 404 pages to the home page?
No. Redirect only to a closely relevant page. Google usually treats mass redirects to the home page as soft 404s.
What is a soft 404?
A soft 404 is a page that tells users it does not exist, or has no real content, while the server returns a 200 success code.
How long does Google take to remove a 404 page?
It varies. Google drops the URL after recrawling it and confirming the 404, which can take days to weeks, and it may keep checking the URL occasionally afterwards.
Do you offer 404 error code SEO services?
Yes. Our 404 error code SEO services are part of technical SEO: we crawl the site, prioritise missing URLs by lost traffic and links, build the redirect map and monitor recovery in Search Console.
Need 404 errors found and fixed?
Talk to our team about your goals. We will show you where the biggest wins are, starting with a free, no-obligation audit.