Finding and Fixing 404 Errors on Your Website

A 404 error is what a visitor sees when they request a page that does not exist — the classic page not found message. Some are harmless, but the wrong ones frustrate visitors, waste the value of incoming links and signal neglect.

The skill is telling the two apart and fixing what matters. Not every 404 needs action, but broken links to once-popular pages, or dead pages that other sites still link to, are worth attention.

When a 404 matters

A 404 matters most when it sits on a page people are trying to reach: an old page with backlinks, a URL still linked from your own site, or a page that used to bring in traffic. Those waste real value.

A 404 for a page that never existed and nobody links to is generally harmless — Google expects some. The aim is not zero 404s but no 404s on pages people or links are actively pointing at.

Finding the broken pages

Google Search Console reports URLs it tried to crawl and found missing, which is the best starting point. A crawl tool can scan your site for internal links that lead to dead pages.

Check your analytics too. A 404 page that gets regular visits tells you people are still trying to reach something that has gone, which is a clear signal to fix it.

Fixing them properly

If a page has genuinely moved, set up a 301 redirect to its new equivalent so visitors and link value reach the right place. If it has gone for good with no equivalent, it is fine to let it stay a 404.

Fix any broken internal links so your own site stops pointing at dead pages. And make your 404 page itself helpful — a friendly message, a search box and links back into the site keep a lost visitor from leaving.