Technical SEO
404 Error
A 404 error is the status code returned when a requested page cannot be found on the server, usually because it was deleted or the URL is wrong.
A few 404s are normal, but broken internal links and dead high-value pages hurt user experience and waste crawl budget. Redirect removed pages that had traffic or links to a relevant live page with a 301, and use a helpful custom 404 page for the rest.
Broken backlinks are the version of this problem worth acting on. When another site links to a URL that now returns 404, that authority stops flowing and nobody tells you. Backlink tools list these directly, and a redirect to the closest equivalent page recovers value from work someone else already did. This is often the cheapest link win available to an established site. Internal 404s deserve attention for a different reason: they usually mean a template or navigation is generating bad URLs, so one fix at the source clears many errors at once.
Example
An agency audit finds a retired service page still receiving 130 visits and holding 12 backlinks, now returning 404. Every visit dead-ends and every link's value evaporates. One 301 to the closest live service page recovers both. The other 300 404s in the report point at URLs with no traffic and no links, and those are left exactly as they are.
Frequently asked questions
- Do 404 errors hurt my rankings?
- A 404 for a page that genuinely no longer exists is normal and harmless. What hurts is 404s that receive traffic or backlinks, or that break internal navigation. Redirect those to the closest relevant page; leave the rest to return 404 honestly.
- Should I redirect every 404 to the homepage?
- No. Bulk-redirecting unrelated URLs to the homepage is treated as a soft 404 and confuses users who expected specific content. Redirect only where a genuine equivalent exists, and let the rest 404 with a helpful page offering search and navigation.
Related terms
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