How to Find and Fix 404 Errors

1. Find broken links. Open Broken Links Checker. Crawl will reveal every 4xx/5xx URL on the site.
2. Set up 301 redirects. nginx: rewrite ^/old-url$ /new-url permanent;. Apache .htaccess: Redirect 301 /old-url /new-url.
3. Custom 404 page. Do not show generic "Page not found". Add: site search, links to main sections, "We removed this page because…"
4. Check sitemap.xml. Sitemap should not contain 404 URLs. Remove or update if any.
5. Monitor Google Search Console. Coverage tab → Not Found. Check weekly for new occurrences.

Open tool →

404 errors can arise from various sources. Understanding the underlying causes is essential for effective resolution. Here are some common reasons:

• Deleted or Moved Content: When a page is removed or relocated without proper redirection, users will encounter a 404 error.
• Typographical Errors: A simple typo in the URL can lead to a 404 page. This often happens when users manually enter URLs or click on outdated links.
• Broken Internal Links: Links within your site may point to pages that no longer exist, leading to 404 errors. Regular audits can help identify these issues.
• External Links: Links from other websites to your site may become outdated. Keeping track of these can prevent traffic loss.

By identifying the source of 404 errors, you can implement targeted fixes, such as updating links or creating redirects.

Google Search Console (GSC) is an invaluable tool for monitoring your website's health, including 404 errors. Here’s how to use GSC effectively:

• Access the Coverage Report: Log in to GSC, navigate to the 'Coverage' section under 'Index'. Here, you will see a list of detected issues, including 404 errors.
• Identify the URLs: Click on the 'Excluded' tab to find URLs that returned a '404 not found' status. This will help you pinpoint what needs fixing.
• Analyze Traffic Impact: Check the 'Performance' report to see how many clicks and impressions the affected pages were generating before they returned 404 errors.
• Request Reindexing: After fixing or redirecting broken links, use the 'URL Inspection' tool to request reindexing, ensuring Google recognizes the changes promptly.

Regularly monitoring your GSC account can help you stay ahead of 404 errors and maintain a healthy website.

301 redirects are essential for guiding users and search engines from a broken URL to a relevant page. Here’s how to implement them across different platforms:

• Apache (.htaccess): For websites running on Apache servers, you can add the following line to your .htaccess file:
Redirect 301 /old-page.html http://www.yoursite.com/new-page.html
• Nginx: For Nginx servers, use the following configuration in your server block:
rewrite ^/old-page.html$ http://www.yoursite.com/new-page.html permanent;
• WordPress: If you’re using a WordPress site, consider using a plugin like Redirection. After installation, you can easily set up 301 redirects through the plugin interface.

Implementing these redirects not only improves user experience but also helps retain SEO value from the original URLs.