Are 404 Errors Hindering Your SEO Strategy? Discover the Truth

404 errors are one of the most common and frustrating issues for website owners, but are they really harming your website’s SEO? Understanding the impact of 404 errors on SEO and how to handle them can make a huge difference in your website’s search engine ranking and user experience. In this article, we will dive deep into what 404 errors are, how they affect your SEO strategy, and the steps you can take to fix them.

Table of Contents

What Are 404 Errors?

A 404 error is an HTTP status code that indicates that the server cannot find the page you are trying to access. In simpler terms, it means that the page is missing, deleted, or the URL has been changed without proper redirection. This error typically results in a “Page Not Found” message being displayed to users when they attempt to visit a broken or non-existent URL.

While a 404 error is a common occurrence on the web, it’s essential to manage them effectively to avoid any negative impact on your website’s SEO performance.

How 404 Errors Impact SEO

404 errors can harm your SEO efforts in several ways. Let’s take a closer look at how they affect your site’s performance:

Broken Links: 404 errors often arise from broken links, either internal or external. When search engines like Google find broken links on your website, they may interpret your site as poorly maintained or unreliable.
Decreased User Experience: If users encounter a 404 error while navigating your site, it leads to frustration and may result in higher bounce rates. This impacts the user experience and, in turn, your rankings.
Lost Link Equity: External websites linking to non-existent pages will result in lost link equity, which is vital for SEO. These backlinks will not provide any value to your website’s authority.
Indexing Issues: If Googlebot encounters too many 404 errors on your website, it may have trouble indexing your content, leading to lower rankings or even deindexing of important pages.

These issues make it crucial to address 404 errors as part of your SEO strategy. The good news is that with the right steps, you can minimize the impact of 404 errors on your SEO efforts.

How to Identify and Fix 404 Errors on Your Website

Identifying and resolving 404 errors on your site is an essential part of maintaining a healthy SEO strategy. Here’s a step-by-step process to detect and fix 404 errors.

Step 1: Use Google Search Console to Find 404 Errors

Google Search Console is a powerful tool that can help you identify 404 errors on your site. To check for these errors:

Login to Google Search Console.
Navigate to the “Coverage” section under “Index” in the left-hand menu.
Look for the “Excluded” tab and click on it. This section will display all the pages that Googlebot could not index, including 404 errors.
Filter for “404 errors” to see which URLs are resulting in broken links.

By identifying the pages showing 404 errors, you can take action to resolve them and ensure Googlebot can index your content properly.

Step 2: Use Crawl Tools to Find Internal 404 Errors

While Google Search Console is great for finding issues that affect Googlebot’s crawling, it’s also important to check for 404 errors from the perspective of your users. For this, you can use crawling tools like Screaming Frog, Ahrefs, or Sitebulb.

These tools crawl your website, just like a search engine, and provide detailed reports on broken links, missing pages, and more. You can then quickly address these 404 errors and improve the user experience on your site.

Step 3: Set Up 301 Redirects

If a page has been permanently moved or deleted, a 301 redirect is an effective way to guide users and search engines to the correct location. Setting up 301 redirects ensures that users are automatically redirected to a relevant page instead of encountering a 404 error. Here’s how you can do it:

Identify the missing or outdated page that is generating the 404 error.
Choose a relevant, live page on your site that users should be redirected to.
In your website’s .htaccess file (for Apache servers) or server settings (for other types of servers), create a 301 redirect rule for that page.

301 redirects not only improve user experience but also help preserve any SEO value from inbound links, ensuring that your link equity is not lost.

Step 4: Fix or Remove Broken Internal Links

If internal links on your website point to 404 pages, this creates a poor user experience and could harm your site’s SEO. It’s essential to regularly check your internal linking structure for broken links and fix or remove them. Here’s how you can do this:

Use a site audit tool like Screaming Frog or Ahrefs to identify internal links that are pointing to 404 pages.
If the link is important, update it to point to a relevant, live page.
If the link is no longer necessary, remove it from your content to avoid sending users to a dead end.

Step 5: Monitor and Track 404 Errors Regularly

Fixing 404 errors is an ongoing process. Even after resolving the current errors on your site, you should regularly monitor your website for new issues. Google Search Console and crawling tools should be checked periodically to ensure your site remains free from 404 errors that could hurt your SEO.

Troubleshooting Tips for 404 Errors

While fixing 404 errors might seem straightforward, there are a few additional troubleshooting tips to keep in mind:

Check for Typos in URLs

Sometimes, a 404 error is caused by simple typos in the URL. Double-check URLs for any misspelled words, misplaced hyphens, or incorrect characters. This is particularly important for internal links, as even a small mistake can lead to a broken link.

Ensure Proper Redirects After Site Changes

If you’ve recently redesigned your website, moved content around, or changed your URL structure, make sure to implement proper redirects. Failing to redirect old URLs to their new locations can lead to numerous 404 errors that negatively impact your SEO.

Fix 404 Errors in Third-Party Links

If external websites link to pages that return a 404 error, you may want to reach out to the site owners and request an update. While this isn’t always possible, it’s worth trying to preserve any link equity from high-authority external sites.

Conclusion: Are 404 Errors Hindering Your SEO Strategy?

In conclusion, 404 errors can indeed hinder your SEO strategy if left unchecked. From broken internal links to lost link equity, these errors can negatively affect both user experience and your website’s performance in search engine rankings. However, with the right tools and strategies, you can easily identify and fix 404 errors to ensure your site runs smoothly and continues to rank well.

By regularly monitoring your site for broken links, implementing 301 redirects, and keeping your content up to date, you can mitigate the impact of 404 errors and ensure a positive user experience for visitors to your site.

For more detailed guidance on fixing 404 errors and other SEO best practices, check out this helpful Moz guide on 404 errors.

With these steps in place, you’ll be on your way to a healthier website and a more successful SEO strategy.

This article is in the category Reviews and created by SiteRankLab Team