Definition
A 404 error is the status code a server returns when a requested page doesn't exist; a 410 means it was removed deliberately and won't return.
404 error explained
404s are a normal part of the web. Pages get deleted, people mistype URLs and other sites link to addresses that never existed. Search engines don't penalize a site for having 404s; they simply drop those URLs from the index over time. A 410 status says the page is gone on purpose, which can speed that up.
404s become a problem when:
- Pages that still receive traffic or backlinks start returning 404 after a URL change.
- Internal links point to missing pages, sending visitors and crawlers into dead ends.
- Important pages break because of a deployment error.
Check Google Search Console and a site crawl regularly for new 404s. Redirect missing URLs that have links or traffic to their closest replacement, fix internal links at the source, and let genuinely obsolete URLs return 404 or 410. Make the 404 page itself helpful, with search and links to key sections, while still returning the 404 status code.
Example
After a redesign, your most-linked guide moved and its old URL now returns a 404. Other sites still link to it. Adding a 301 from the old URL to the new guide recovers those visitors and the link value.
Why it matters
Broken URLs that used to earn links and traffic waste authority and lose visitors, while a sensible approach to 404s keeps the site clean.
Related service
301 Redirections
Redirect mapping, chain and loop clean-up so URL changes keep their rankings and links.
301 redirect management servicesPublished by Vidern, founded and led by Malhar Shah. Updated .
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Related terms
- 301 redirectA 301 redirect is a permanent redirect: the server tells browsers and search engines that a URL has moved for good and sends them to the new address.
- Soft 404A soft 404 is a page that tells visitors it doesn't exist or has no content but returns a 200 success status, instead of a proper 404 or 410.
- Internal linkingInternal linking is linking between pages on your own site, which helps visitors navigate and helps search engines find pages and see how they relate.
- Site migrationA site migration is any major change to a website's platform, domain, URL structure or design that can affect how search engines crawl, index and rank it.