What is 404 error?
A 404 error is the HTTP status a server returns when a requested page doesn’t exist, usually because it was deleted, moved without a redirect or the link was mistyped.
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In plain English
Status 404 means “not found”. It’s normal for any site to have some: someone mistypes a URL or an old product is gone. Google doesn’t penalize a site for having 404s.
A related problem is the “soft 404”: a page that shows an error message but returns a normal 200 status, which confuses search engines. A 410 status says a page is gone for good.
Why it matters for a small business
404s hurt when they hit pages that used to get traffic or links. Every link pointing to a dead page wastes its value, and every visitor who lands there may leave. A useful 404 page with search and key links can save some of those visits.
An example
A Mississauga caterer removes its old “holiday menu” page each January and recreates it each November at a new URL. Local blogs that linked to it every year hit a 404. Keeping one permanent URL and updating the content each season keeps those links working.
Common mistakes
Where I see 404 error go wrong most often.
Deleting a popular page without redirecting it to the closest replacement.
Showing a blank or generic server error page with no way back into the site.
Redirecting every missing URL to the homepage, which Google tends to treat as a soft 404 anyway.
404 error, answered
Not in themselves. They matter when they affect pages that had traffic or backlinks, because that value is lost.
Search Console’s Pages report lists URLs returning “Not found (404)”. Crawling tools and server logs can find more.
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- nick@tavro.ca
- 587-439-9994
- Calgary, Alberta