A message stating that the submitted URL could not be found (a 404 not found error) can appear on any website. This is a common 404 error.
Official Google Support defines this situation as a case where "a non-existent URL was submitted for indexing." The following article explains the reasons for this, provides answers to the question of what to do about a 404 error , and whether it's wreaking havoc on search results.
Error 404 – What does it mean? How do you know it's occurring on your website?
The simplest and most recommended solution, which will also work for your website, is to systematically monitor messages from Google Search Console , located in the STATUS tab. There are four groups of messages related to URL inspection:
- Mistakes,
- Correct with warning,
- Correct,
- Excluded.
Information about 404 errors (i.e. that the requested file cannot be found) can be found in the error and excluded tabs.
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Error 404 – worth knowing:
Messages from both tabs require different approaches. This advice from Google Support clearly states: We recommend fixing only pages with 404 errors, not excluded pages with 404s. Pages with 404 errors are pages that we couldn't find, even though you explicitly requested them to be indexed, which is an obvious mistake. Excluded pages with 404s, on the other hand, are pages discovered through a different method, such as a link on another page.
In practice, this means dealing only with the contents of the red tab.
Providing 404 error messages, meaning "page not found," is another reason to use Google Search Console for your website. GSC identifies up to 1000 page addresses within a given site that are experiencing 404 errors, and also shows the frequency of these errors over the past three months.
Error 404 – How to Fix It? Can the Website Be Saved?
As an SEO expert would say, "it depends." The words "error" and "not working" don't sound right, but it's not a binary matter. What should we consider when assessing multiple errors?
- Does the message appear in errors or exclusions? 404 messages that are reported as errors require a response.
- How many pages have the 404 error problem? This should be assessed against the background of the size of the website in question.
- Which subpages have 404 errors? GSC reports up to 1000 pages with a given error (as well as a warning or exclusion reason), so it's worth reviewing this list and assessing the significance of these specific addresses for the site's visibility, traffic, and sales. We'll approach error messages on pages for products that have long since disappeared from our offerings differently than we do on pages for key categories.
- Have we already implemented solutions on the website to prevent 404 errors? If so, and we still receive 404 messages, we have a clear signal that these actions are not effective.
Once we evaluate our website based on these 4 questions, we know how serious the situation is when it comes to 404 errors.
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What to do with a 404 error when a page is temporarily unavailable?
It's a good practice to redirect the user to the home page or a category subpage thematically related to the deleted subpage . Avoid situations where the redirect leads to a subpage that will soon disappear from the site and require relocation.
What causes a 404 error?
Typical situations that trigger 404 errors are:
- the page has been deleted – removing subpages that have already been indexed by Google web robots from the website, e.g. when changing the offer and removing outdated elements (when we do not have the desired resource in our portfolio);
- new address – for example, by changing URLs (e.g. removing typos in URLs on subpages);
- thorough reconstruction of the website also often means a 404 error;
- changing the online store engine to another one that is able to meet the domain owner's requests.
Making the changes described above may result in 404 errors on your website.
The solution is appropriate redirection.
Error 404 – worth knowing:
It's especially important to implement redirects when redesigning or switching to a new website. This has significant implications for search engine rankings (and website positioning ). Without this implementation, ranking declines are virtually certain.
404 error subpage
We already know what impact a 404 error has on the website, when it can appear and what the importance of implemented 301 redirects is.
Additionally, it's worth considering an error message subpage. Its attractive design increases the chances of a potential customer staying on the site and making another attempt to search for interesting content.
Worth knowing:
Implementing 301 redirects for broken pages won't eliminate errors when entering page addresses (e.g., the URL contains a typo) or when sharing links with such errors. These cases result in the server returning a 404 error – no landing page found.
What should the subpage of a 404 error be?
Above all, it should attract attention and encourage further browsing. The simplest approach is to create a subpage that is visually consistent with the rest of the website. This subpage will notify about a 404 error and, in simple terms, encourage visitors to proceed to the home page. When preparing a template, it's important to remember not only the correct website structure , but also, in the case of multilingual portals, a separate file for each language.
You can also approach the error page creatively and try to present the situation in a humorous way, for example through a joke related to your industry, offer or commonly known associations.
404 Error Examples. What might a 404 error page look like?
Google is also prepared for this eventuality… And not only Google :) Check out some good examples of 404 error pages that may interest users!
404 error page – how to use it in your industry?
Creative 404 error subpages are especially important for online stores . They can be used in several ways:
- if the customer was looking for a sold-out item, on the 404 error page, it is worth suggesting similar items – e.g. a carousel with products from the same category that you offer on your website;
- inform about promotions and news and encourage you to use them;
- present bestsellerswhich may be of interest to the user;
- place a product search engine – using the internal search engine means that the customer takes one less step in their search for the perfect product when they browse your website webpage.
When it comes to 404 errors, there's always a silver lining. A 404 error page provides additional page space for every store to showcase its products and highlight the uniqueness of its website offerings.
A well-designed 404 error page that not only communicates the URL error but also incorporates a joke, perhaps a wink, will undoubtedly translate into a more pleasant experience of our offer and brand. Furthermore, we'll increase the likelihood that the customer will return to the site in the future.
FAQs about error 404
This is a technical message (HTTP status code) informing that communication with the server is working correctly, but the requested subpage or file does not exist at the specified URL.
The main reasons include: intentional removal of a subpage or product from the offer, changing the URL structure (e.g. during site migration) without performing redirects, as well as simple typos made by users entering the address using the keyboard.
Individual 404 errors are a natural occurrence online. However, their mass occurrence harms SEO – it wastes indexing budget (Google's crawlers waste time on empty pages) and causes a complete loss of ranking power derived from links leading to these deleted pages.
By far the best and most recommended practice is to use a 301 redirect. This involves redirecting traffic from a broken URL to a new, working equivalent or to a page with a very similar theme (e.g., a similar product model).
Instead of displaying a blank, system-wide error message to the customer, it's worth creating a unique error page. A well-designed 404 page should include humorous information, an internal search engine, a carousel of recommended products, or buttons that redirect to the home page. This helps keep customers in the store despite encountering a problem.
Summary
The above article covers the following topics:
- what error 404 means and how to check if it applies to your website,
- how to fix error 404 and restore proper website functionality,
- error 404 when temporarily unavailable,
- what a friendly 404 subpage should look like,
- what the best 404 error pages look like,
- creative use of the 404 subpage in marketing.
