What Is 404 Error? Why It Matters for SEO and How You Can Fix It

Have you ever tried to open a page on a website and ended up seeing a message that says something like “404 – Page Not Found”? If yes, then you’ve already experienced what is known as a 404 error. These errors are very common on the internet and can happen on any website, big or small.

Although they might seem like just a minor problem or a temporary glitch, too many 404 errors can actually create serious issues for your website. They can annoy visitors, make your site look unprofessional, and even hurt your search engine rankings. In this guide, we’ll explain in very simple language what a 404 error is, why it happens, how it affects your website and SEO (Search Engine Optimization), and what steps you can take to fix it and avoid it in the future.

What Is 404 Error?

A 404 error is a standard HTTP response code that means the page you’re trying to access cannot be found on the website’s server. This error appears when your web browser (such as Chrome, Firefox, or Safari) successfully connects to the server, but the server can’t locate the requested page.

In simple terms, the server is working properly, but the specific page you’re looking for is either missing, deleted, or the URL was typed incorrectly. It’s one of the most common errors users encounter on the internet.

You might see different types of 404 messages depending on the website or browser, such as:

• “404 Not Found”
• “Sorry, we couldn’t find that page.”
• “This page doesn’t exist.”
• “Oops! Something went wrong.”
• “The page you are looking for cannot be found.”

These messages all mean the same thing: the content the user is looking for is missing.

Why Do 404 Errors Happen?

There are several reasons why a user may encounter a 404 error. Some are accidental, and some happen over time as websites are updated or changed. Here are the most common causes:

• Page Was Deleted: Sometimes, web pages are removed on purpose because they are no longer useful, outdated, or duplicated. But if other pages (on your site or other websites) still link to that deleted page, visitors will end up seeing a 404 error.
• Page Was Moved But Not Redirected: A page might be moved to a new location or given a new URL. If a proper redirection (like a 301 redirect) is not set up, users trying to visit the old URL will get a 404 error.
• Typos in the URL: If someone types in the web address incorrectly—such as missing a letter or using the wrong spelling—they might try to open a page that doesn’t exist, leading to a 404 error.
• Broken or Outdated Links: Sometimes, links on your site or other websites might point to old or incorrect URLs. When someone clicks one of these broken links, they’ll land on a 404 page.
• Website Errors or Mistakes: There might be problems with how your site was set up, especially if new content was added or old content was deleted without checking all links.

Why 404 Errors Are Bad for Visitors

When people visit your website, they’re looking for something specific—maybe a product, some helpful information, a blog post, or your contact details. If they get a 404 error instead of the content they expected, it creates a negative experience.

Here’s how it affects them:

• Confusion: They don’t understand why the page isn’t working or where to go next.
• Frustration: They expected useful information or a service but found nothing.
• Disappointment: They may think your website is broken or poorly maintained.
• Loss of trust: If a site looks broken, people might worry it’s not reliable or secure.

Because of this, visitors often leave the website quickly and may never come back. They might also tell others not to visit your site or leave bad reviews online. This means lost traffic, lost leads, and lost sales for you or your business.

How 404 Errors Affect SEO (Search Engine Optimization)

Now, let’s talk about why 404 errors are a problem not just for your visitors but also for your website’s visibility on search engines like Google. SEO is all about helping your site appear in search results when people look for something online. If search engines find too many problems on your site, like missing pages, they might lower your rankings.

Here’s how 404 errors can hurt your SEO:

1. Waste of Crawl Budget: Search engines use bots (also called crawlers or spiders) to scan your website and index your pages. These bots have a limited amount of time (called a crawl budget) to spend on each website. If they spend that time finding pages that don’t exist, they may miss the important pages that you actually want Google to see.
2. Broken Internal Linking: If you have links on your website that go to missing pages, it weakens your site’s internal structure. These broken paths can confuse both search engines and users.
3. Loss of Authority: If other websites link to a page on your site that no longer exists, those valuable links no longer help your site. You lose the SEO benefit that comes from having other sites point to you.
4. Higher Bounce Rate: A bounce is when someone visits your site and leaves immediately without clicking on anything else. If users keep landing on 404 pages and leaving right away, Google may assume your website is not helpful, which can negatively affect your rankings.
5. Damaged Reputation: Search engines want to show people reliable websites. A site filled with broken links and missing pages looks untrustworthy, outdated, or poorly managed.
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How to Find 404 Errors on Your Website

You might be wondering, “How do I know if my website has 404 errors?” The good news is there are tools—many of them free—that can help you easily find these issues:

• Google Search Console: This free tool from Google shows you which pages on your website are causing 404 errors. It also tells you when the problem was discovered and how Googlebot found the page.
• Screaming Frog SEO Spider: This is a downloadable tool that scans your entire website and finds broken links, missing pages, and other issues. It’s very useful for large websites with lots of pages.
• Ahrefs / Semrush: These are powerful SEO tools that can help you find broken links not only on your site but also from other websites that link to you. They show detailed reports and suggest fixes.
• Manual Testing: From time to time, visit your website and click through pages, menus, blog posts, and buttons. Check to make sure everything works, and all links go where they should.

How to Fix 404 Errors

Once you find out which pages are causing 404 errors, it’s time to fix them. Here are some effective ways to do that:

1. Set Up 301 Redirects: If a page has been deleted or moved, use a 301 redirect to send users to another page. This tells search engines and users that the content has moved and they should go to a new place.

Example: Redirect /old-page to /new-page.

2. Fix Broken Links: Go through your website and update any links that lead to missing pages. This includes links in blog posts, menus, headers, footers, and sidebars.
3. Restore Important Deleted Pages: If a page is still getting traffic or has links pointing to it, consider bringing it back. You can update the content or create a new version of it.
4. Create a Custom 404 Page: Even with your best efforts, some people may still end up on a missing page. A friendly and helpful 404 page can keep them on your site.

A good 404 page should include:

• A search box to help users find what they need
• Links to important pages like Home, About, Contact, or Blog
• A polite and clear message like: “Sorry! The page you’re looking for isn’t here.”

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How to Prevent 404 Errors in the Future

Here are a few simple but powerful ways to avoid 404 errors on your website before they even happen:

• Check your site regularly: Use tools like Google Search Console or Screaming Frog to scan your website for errors every few weeks or months.
• Don’t delete pages without redirects: Always set up a redirect if you remove a page so visitors don’t end up at a dead end.
• Update internal links: If you change a page’s URL, make sure you update every place that links to it.
• Keep your content fresh: Review old posts and pages to make sure all the links and information are still correct.

Final Thoughts

404 errors happen when someone tries to open a page on your website that no longer exists. While they may seem small, they can lead to big problems. They frustrate visitors, cause people to leave your site, and tell search engines that your site might not be well-maintained.

But the good news is that 404 errors are easy to fix. Use tools to find them, add redirects, fix broken links, and create a helpful 404 page. Even better, take steps to avoid these errors in the future by checking your website regularly and keeping things up to date.

By taking care of 404 errors, you’ll keep your visitors happy, improve your SEO, and help your website grow.