In this post we’re going to dig into the Google Search Console error or warning titled “Not Found (404)” under the Indexation->Pages section of Google Search Console.
Click play on the video above for a video walkthrough and more detailed information.
If you want help with your SEO our SEO Audit Service is a good place to get started.
Table of Contents
Understanding 404 Errors
Contrary to popular belief, 404 errors aren’t inherently bad. They simply indicate that a requested page or URL doesn’t exist. If a page genuinely shouldn’t exist, a 404 error is the correct response.
It’s critical that your server returns a 404 status code, not just a visual 404 page when a page isn’t found. This confirms to browsers and search engines that the page is indeed missing.
Many SEO plugins and articles you find around the web will advise you to 301 redirect all 404 errors to say the homepage but this is WRONG…DON’T DO IT!!!
To check whether your server correctly returns a 404 status with a 404 page, try out FREE SEO Audit tool – it takes just 60 seconds, no opt-in required.
Identifying 404 Errors
There are several ways to proactively identify 404 errors on your website:
- Google Search Console: (https://google.com/webmasters/tools)This provides valuable data on 404 errors under both the “Indexing” and “Crawl” sections.
- Website Audit Tools: Tools like the WP Speed Fix SEO audit tool or our WordPress Speed Test Tool can quickly scan your site and pinpoint 404 errors.
- SEO Crawlers: Tools like Screaming Frog SEO Spider, Ahrefs, and Semrush crawl your website and identify broken links leading to 404 errors.
- SEO Plugins: Many SEO plugins, such as Rank Math, monitor and track 404 errors, allowing you to manage them effectively.
Common Causes of 404 Errors
The video highlights several common causes of 404 errors:
- Missing Resources: This often involves missing images, CSS files, or JavaScript files referenced in your website’s code, leading to performance issues.
- Technical SEO Issues: Missing files like robots.txt, ads.txt, or favicon.ico can trigger 404 errors.
- Old URLs: Outdated URLs from previous website versions or discontinued products can cause 404 errors.
- Negative SEO Attacks: Malicious actors may intentionally link to non-existent pages on your site to harm your SEO – this is especially harmful if your site is not correctly returning a 404 status code at the server level
- Old Hostnames: As you’ll see in one of the examples in the video, the hostname crm.didgeridoodojo.com was causing errors. This hostname should no longer exist so needs to be deleted from the Cloudflare DNS hosting.
Managing 404 Errors in Google Search Console
Google Search Console offers two primary locations for analyzing 404 errors:
- Crawl Stats Report: This report provides detailed information about 404 errors encountered by Googlebot during crawling.
- Indexation->Pages section: This report shows pages that Google has indexed but are returning 404 errors.
By analyzing these reports, you can identify the source of 404 errors and take appropriate action, such as:
- Implementing 301 Redirects: Redirect old or outdated URLs to relevant existing pages to preserve link equity and user experience.
- Creating Missing Files: If essential files like robots.txt or ads.txt are missing, create them to avoid unnecessary 404 errors.
- Disavowing Spammy Links: If 404 errors are caused by negative SEO attacks, use the disavow tool in Google Search Console to neutralize their impact.
- Blocking Using robots.txt: If the area of the site shouldn’t be crawled, for example the wp-login.php page or a script that shouldn’t be crawled then you should block it in robots.txt
Need More Help?
If you’re looking to get more proactive with your SEO or solve technical issues in Google Search Console our team can help. Head to our homepage and submit a free Site Audit request and one of our team will take a look at your site in conjunction with your goals and tell you how we can help.