How to Fix 404 Errors for Better SEO: The Complete Guide for 2026

Last updated: February 8, 2026 | Published by Bright SEO Tools

1. What Are 404 Errors?

A 404 error — officially called "404 Not Found" — is an HTTP response status code that tells the browser (and search engine crawlers) that the requested URL does not exist on the server. It is one of the most recognized error codes on the internet, and every website owner will encounter it at some point.

When a user or a search engine bot like Googlebot requests a URL that cannot be found, the web server responds with a 404 status code. The browser then typically displays an error page — either the server's default error page or a custom one designed by the site owner.

404 errors happen for many reasons. Pages get deleted, URLs change during a site redesign, someone makes a typo in a link, or a content management system generates faulty URLs. According to a study by Ahrefs, over 66% of all websites have at least one broken internal link leading to a 404 page. That is a staggering number, and it highlights why monitoring for these errors is a critical part of any technical SEO strategy.

Understanding the root cause of your 404 errors is the first step toward fixing them. Run a thorough SEO audit of your website to identify every broken URL and determine why each one is returning a 404 status code.

2. Hard 404 vs Soft 404: Understanding the Difference

Not all 404 errors are created equal. There are two distinct types, and the difference between them has significant implications for your SEO performance.

Hard 404 Errors

A hard 404 is the correct implementation. The server returns a 404 HTTP status code in the response header, and the browser displays an error page. This is exactly what Google expects when a page genuinely does not exist. Googlebot sees the 404 status, understands the page is gone, and will eventually remove it from the index.

Soft 404 Errors

A soft 404 is far more problematic. The page displays "not found" or similar error content to the user, but the server returns a 200 OK status code in the response header. This confuses search engines because the HTTP status says "everything is fine" while the actual page content says "this page doesn't exist." Google has built algorithms to detect soft 404s, and they flag them as errors in Google Search Console.

You can verify which type of 404 your pages return using the Bright SEO Tools Spider Simulator or by checking the HTTP headers directly in your browser's developer tools. Always ensure your error pages return a proper 404 status code, not a 200.

3. 404 vs 410 Status Codes: When to Use Each

Many site owners do not realize there is another HTTP status code specifically designed for permanently removed content: the 410 Gone status. Understanding when to use 404 versus 410 can give you more precise control over how search engines handle your deleted pages.

According to Google's John Mueller, a 410 status code tells Google to deindex a URL faster than a standard 404. While Google will eventually remove both 404 and 410 pages from the index, a 410 signals stronger intent that the content is permanently gone.

To implement a 410 status code in your .htaccess file, you can use this directive:

# Return 410 Gone for a specific URL
RewriteEngine On
RewriteRule ^old-page-that-is-gone/?$ - [G,L]

# Return 410 Gone for multiple specific URLs
<IfModule mod_rewrite.c>
RewriteEngine On
RewriteRule ^expired-promo-2024/?$ - [G,L]
RewriteRule ^discontinued-product/?$ - [G,L]
RewriteRule ^old-event-page/?$ - [G,L]
</IfModule>

For guidance on managing your URL structure and redirects effectively, review our comprehensive guide on URL structure best practices for SEO.

4. How 404 Errors Affect SEO

The impact of 404 errors on your search engine optimization depends on several factors: how many you have, which pages are affected, whether those pages have backlinks, and how long the errors persist. According to Moz's technical SEO guide, unresolved 404 errors can create a cascade of negative effects across your entire site.

Google's own search documentation clarifies that 404 errors on invalid URLs (pages that never existed) do not hurt your rankings. However, 404 errors on pages that previously existed, had backlinks, or are linked from other pages on your site can cause significant damage.

The Five Key SEO Impacts of 404 Errors

1. Crawl Budget Waste. Every time Googlebot encounters a 404 error, it spends part of its allocated crawl budget on a dead page instead of discovering or recrawling your valuable content. For large sites, this can mean important pages take longer to get indexed.

2. Link Equity Loss. When external sites link to a URL that returns a 404, all of that valuable link equity — the ranking power passed through backlinks — simply vanishes. Backlinko's research consistently shows that backlinks remain one of the top ranking factors, so losing link equity to 404 errors is a direct hit to your rankings potential.

3. User Experience Degradation. Users who land on a 404 page are far more likely to leave your site immediately, increasing your bounce rate. Google uses engagement signals as part of its ranking algorithms, so high bounce rates from 404 pages can indirectly hurt your SEO.

4. Internal Linking Structure Damage. Broken internal links create dead ends in your site architecture, preventing link equity from flowing properly through your site and making it harder for crawlers to discover all your pages.

5. Trust and Authority Erosion. According to HubSpot's marketing research, 74% of users judge a company's credibility based on their website experience. Frequent encounters with 404 errors signal that a site is poorly maintained, which erodes trust with both users and search engines over time.

5. Link Equity Loss From 404 Errors

One of the most damaging consequences of unresolved 404 errors is the loss of link equity (also known as "link juice"). When an authoritative website links to one of your pages and that page returns a 404, you receive absolutely zero ranking benefit from that backlink. The link still exists on the referring page, but it points to nothing — so the equity it would have passed simply evaporates.

Neil Patel's analysis estimates that businesses lose millions of dollars worth of SEO value annually from broken backlinks pointing to 404 pages. This is entirely preventable with proper redirect management.

Consider this scenario: a major publication like Forbes links to your product page. That single backlink from a Domain Authority 95 site could be worth enormous ranking power. If you later delete or move that product page without setting up a 301 redirect, that link equity vanishes completely.

6. Impact on User Experience and Bounce Rate

When a visitor clicks a link and lands on a 404 error page, the experience is jarring. They expected to find specific content, and instead they found nothing. Research from Search Engine Journal indicates that up to 74% of users who encounter a default 404 page will leave the site entirely without attempting to navigate further.

This matters for SEO because Google's systems evaluate user engagement signals. If a significant percentage of visitors bounce from your site after encountering 404 errors, this sends a negative signal about your site's quality and relevance. Combined with the insights from Search Engine Journal's analysis of ranking factors, engagement metrics play a meaningful role in how Google evaluates content quality.

The takeaway is clear: a well-designed custom 404 page can cut your bounce rate by more than half compared to a default server error page. We will cover how to design an effective custom 404 page later in this guide. If you are looking for additional bounce rate optimization strategies, see our guide on 8 proven tips to reduce bounce rate.

7. How to Find 404 Errors on Your Website

Before you can fix 404 errors, you need to find them. There are several reliable methods to discover all the 404 errors on your website, each with its own strengths. For the most thorough results, use multiple methods together.

Method 1: Google Search Console

Google Search Console is the most important free tool for finding 404 errors that Google has actually encountered while crawling your site. Here is how to find them:

1. Log in to Google Search Console and select your property.
2. Navigate to Indexing > Pages in the left sidebar.
3. Look for rows labeled "Not found (404)" and "Soft 404" under the "Why pages aren't indexed" section.
4. Click on each row to see the specific URLs affected.
5. Check the "Page indexing" details for each URL to see when it was last crawled.

The advantage of Google Search Console is that it shows you the 404 errors from Google's perspective — these are the ones that matter most for your search rankings. Our guide on fixing crawl errors covers the Search Console process in greater detail.

Method 2: Screaming Frog SEO Spider

Screaming Frog SEO Spider is a desktop crawler that audits your entire site by following every link, just like a search engine would. It is the gold standard for technical SEO audits. To find 404 errors with Screaming Frog:

1. Enter your homepage URL and click Start.
2. Wait for the crawl to complete.
3. Click the "Response Codes" tab.
4. Filter for "Client Error (4xx)" to see all 404 and other 4xx errors.
5. Click on any 404 URL, then check the "Inlinks" tab at the bottom to see which pages link to it.

Method 3: Ahrefs Site Audit

Ahrefs Site Audit provides a cloud-based crawling solution that also identifies 404 errors. The tool categorizes issues by severity and provides actionable recommendations for each one.

Method 4: Semrush Site Audit

Semrush Site Audit offers a similar crawling capability with the added benefit of tracking your site health over time. You can schedule regular crawls and receive alerts when new 404 errors appear.

Method 5: Server Log Analysis

Your web server's access logs record every request, including those that returned 404 responses. Analyzing these logs can reveal 404 errors that even crawling tools miss, such as those triggered by bot traffic or direct URL entry. Tools like Screaming Frog Log File Analyser can parse your server logs and extract 404 errors automatically.

Method 6: Online SEO Audit Tools

Use the Bright SEO Tools Website SEO Score Checker to run a quick scan that identifies 404 errors along with other technical SEO issues. You can also use our online ping tool to check whether specific URLs return a live response or an error.

For a complete audit methodology that covers 404 detection and much more, follow our 10 audit tips to fix SEO issues fast.

8. Fixing 404 Errors With 301 Redirects

The 301 redirect is the most important tool in your arsenal for fixing 404 errors. A 301 redirect tells both browsers and search engines that a URL has permanently moved to a new location. When Googlebot encounters a 301, it transfers the link equity from the old URL to the new one and updates its index accordingly.

According to Google's Gary Illyes, 301 redirects pass full PageRank with no dilution. This was confirmed after years of speculation that 301s lost 10-15% of link equity. The bottom line: if you have a relevant page to redirect to, always use a 301.

301 Redirect Best Practices

1. Redirect to the most relevant page. Do not redirect all 404s to the homepage — Google may treat this as a soft 404. Redirect each URL to the closest matching content.
2. Avoid redirect chains. A redirect chain is when URL A redirects to URL B, which redirects to URL C. Each hop in the chain adds latency and may eventually cause Googlebot to stop following. According to Moz's redirect guide, chains of 3 or more hops can cause problems.
3. Avoid redirect loops. A redirect loop occurs when URL A redirects to URL B, and URL B redirects back to URL A. This creates an infinite loop that breaks the page completely.
4. Update internal links. Even after setting up 301 redirects, update all internal links to point directly to the new URL. This eliminates unnecessary redirect processing and improves page speed.
5. Keep redirects permanently. Do not remove 301 redirects after a few months. External sites may still link to the old URL, and removing the redirect recreates the 404 error.

Implementation Methods for 301 Redirects

There are several ways to implement 301 redirects depending on your web server and platform:

Redirect 301 /old-page-url /new-page-url

RewriteEngine On
RewriteRule ^old-page-url/?$ /new-page-url [R=301,L]

server {
    location = /old-page-url {
        return 301 /new-page-url;
    }
}

<?php
header("HTTP/1.1 301 Moved Permanently");
header("Location: https://www.example.com/new-page-url");
exit();
?>

app.get('/old-page-url', (req, res) => {
    res.redirect(301, '/new-page-url');
});

For an easy-to-use tool that generates .htaccess redirect rules automatically, try the Bright SEO Tools .htaccess Redirect Generator.

9. The .htaccess Redirect Method (Apache Servers)

For websites running on Apache web servers (which still power a significant portion of the web according to W3Techs' server usage statistics), the .htaccess file is the primary method for managing redirects. The .htaccess file sits in your website's root directory and Apache processes it on every request.

Complete .htaccess Redirect Examples

# 301 Redirects for broken URLs
Redirect 301 /blog/old-post-title /blog/new-post-title
Redirect 301 /products/discontinued-item /products/replacement-item
Redirect 301 /about-us /company/about
Redirect 301 /services/old-service /services/updated-service
Redirect 301 /contact-us /get-in-touch

RewriteEngine On
RewriteRule ^old-blog/(.*)$ /blog/$1 [R=301,L]

RewriteEngine On

# Force HTTPS
RewriteCond %{HTTPS} off
RewriteRule ^(.*)$ https://%{HTTP_HOST}%{REQUEST_URI} [R=301,L]

# Force www
RewriteCond %{HTTP_HOST} !^www\. [NC]
RewriteRule ^(.*)$ https://www.%{HTTP_HOST}/$1 [R=301,L]

RewriteEngine On
RewriteCond %{HTTP_HOST} ^(www\.)?olddomain\.com$ [NC]
RewriteRule ^(.*)$ https://www.newdomain.com/$1 [R=301,L]

Our .htaccess redirect generator tool can help you create properly formatted redirect rules without risk of syntax errors. Simply enter the old and new URLs, and the tool generates the correct Apache directive for you.

10. Wildcard Redirects: Handling Bulk URL Changes

When you need to redirect hundreds or thousands of URLs at once — such as during a site migration or a major URL structure change — individual redirects become impractical. This is where wildcard redirects (also called pattern-based or regex redirects) come in.

Wildcard redirects use regular expressions to match patterns in URLs and redirect them according to a rule. Moz's site migration guide identifies pattern-based redirects as essential for any successful migration.

# Redirect entire category to new category structure
RedirectMatch 301 ^/category/(.*)$ /topics/$1

# Redirect old date-based blog URLs to new structure
# e.g., /2023/05/post-title -> /blog/post-title
RewriteEngine On
RewriteRule ^[0-9]{4}/[0-9]{2}/(.*)$ /blog/$1 [R=301,L]

# Redirect URLs with .html extension to without
RewriteRule ^(.+)\.html$ /$1 [R=301,L]

# Redirect all URLs from one subdirectory to another
RewriteRule ^shop/(.*)$ /store/$1 [R=301,L]

# Redirect all URLs with a query parameter
RewriteCond %{QUERY_STRING} ^id=([0-9]+)$
RewriteRule ^product\.php$ /products/%1? [R=301,L]

# Redirect entire directory
location /old-section/ {
    rewrite ^/old-section/(.*)$ /new-section/$1 permanent;
}

# Redirect .html to clean URLs
location ~ ^(.+)\.html$ {
    return 301 $1;
}

# Redirect old blog structure
location ~ ^/blog/(\d{4})/(\d{2})/(.*)$ {
    return 301 /blog/$3;
}

Wildcard redirects are powerful but can cause unintended consequences if the pattern is too broad. Always test your redirect rules thoroughly using tools like htaccess tester before deploying them to production.

11. Designing an Effective Custom 404 Page

Not every 404 error can or should be redirected. For URLs that were never valid, or for genuinely removed content with no suitable replacement, you need a custom 404 page that keeps visitors on your site and guides them to useful content.

According to Google's guidelines on custom 404 pages, a well-designed 404 page should help users find what they were looking for and continue browsing your site. Nielsen Norman Group's UX research confirms that helpful error pages significantly reduce user frustration and site abandonment.

Essential Elements of a Custom 404 Page

Custom 404 Page Code Example

ErrorDocument 404 /custom-404.html

server {
    error_page 404 /custom-404.html;
    location = /custom-404.html {
        root /var/www/html;
        internal;
    }
}

<?php
http_response_code(404);
?>
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
    <title>Page Not Found - Your Site Name</title>
</head>
<body>
    <h1>Oops! Page Not Found</h1>
    <p>The page you are looking for does not exist or has been moved.</p>
    <form action="/search" method="get">
        <input type="text" name="q" placeholder="Search our site...">
        <button type="submit">Search</button>
    </form>
    <p><a href="/">Return to Homepage</a></p>
</body>
</html>

12. WordPress 404 Fixes

WordPress powers over 43% of all websites on the internet according to W3Techs, so it deserves special attention when it comes to fixing 404 errors. WordPress has some unique behaviors and tools that make handling 404 errors different from other platforms.

Fix 1: Resave Permalinks

The most common WordPress-specific fix for sudden 404 errors is to resave your permalink structure. This regenerates the URL rewrite rules in your .htaccess file. Many times, a plugin update, theme change, or server configuration change can corrupt these rules.

1. Log in to WordPress Admin
2. Go to Settings → Permalinks
3. Do NOT change any settings
4. Click "Save Changes"
5. Test your pages to see if the 404 errors are resolved

Fix 2: Use a Redirect Plugin

For managing individual redirects, WordPress redirect plugins offer a user-friendly interface. The most popular options include:

• Redirection by John Godley — A free plugin that manages 301 redirects and tracks 404 errors. It has been downloaded over 6 million times and provides detailed redirect logs.
• Rank Math SEO — Includes a built-in redirect manager alongside its other SEO features. It can automatically detect 404 errors and suggest redirects.
• Yoast SEO Premium — Offers a redirect manager as part of its premium package, with automatic redirect suggestions when you change a URL slug. Yoast remains one of the most widely used WordPress SEO plugins.

Fix 3: Check .htaccess File

WordPress relies on specific rewrite rules in the .htaccess file. If these rules are missing or corrupted, all pages except the homepage may return 404 errors. The standard WordPress .htaccess rules should look like this:

# BEGIN WordPress
<IfModule mod_rewrite.c>
RewriteEngine On
RewriteRule .* - [E=HTTP_AUTHORIZATION:%{HTTP:Authorization}]
RewriteBase /
RewriteRule ^index\.php$ - [L]
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} !-f
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} !-d
RewriteRule . /index.php [L]
</IfModule>
# END WordPress

Fix 4: Check for Plugin and Theme Conflicts

Sometimes WordPress 404 errors are caused by plugin or theme conflicts. A plugin may override WordPress's rewrite rules or create conflicting URL patterns. To diagnose this:

1. Deactivate all plugins and check if the 404 errors resolve.
2. Reactivate plugins one by one to identify the conflicting plugin.
3. Switch to a default theme (like Twenty Twenty-Five) temporarily to rule out theme issues.
4. Check for custom code in your theme's functions.php file that may affect URL routing.

Fix 5: Database Permalink Repair

In rare cases, the WordPress database may have corrupted permalink data. You can try flushing the rewrite rules programmatically by adding this code temporarily to your theme's functions.php file:

// Add temporarily to functions.php, then remove after one page load
flush_rewrite_rules();

For more WordPress-specific technical SEO strategies, explore our collection of 10 technical SEO secrets that cover WordPress optimization in depth.

13. Preventing Future 404 Errors

Fixing existing 404 errors is only half the battle. You also need to implement processes and practices that prevent new 404 errors from appearing. Prevention is always more efficient than remediation. As Search Engine Journal's technical SEO guides emphasize, proactive maintenance is the hallmark of a technically healthy website.

Prevention Best Practices

1. Never delete a page without creating a redirect. Before removing any page from your site, set up a 301 redirect to the most relevant alternative. Use our .htaccess redirect generator to create the rule instantly.
2. Use a consistent URL structure from the start. Establish your URL structure early and stick with it. Every URL change creates the potential for 404 errors if redirects are not properly managed.
3. Implement a redirect process in your content workflow. Any time a content editor changes a URL slug, a redirect should be created automatically or as part of a mandatory checklist. Tools like Rank Math and Yoast Premium can automate this in WordPress.
4. Validate links before publishing. Use link-checking tools to verify that all internal and external links in your content are valid before hitting publish. W3C's Link Checker is a free option.
5. Use relative URLs for internal links when possible. Relative URLs are less likely to break during domain changes or protocol switches (HTTP to HTTPS). However, for SEO purposes, Google recommends using absolute URLs in your sitemap.
6. Plan site migrations carefully. Before migrating to a new domain, CMS, or URL structure, create a comprehensive redirect map that covers every existing URL. Ahrefs' site migration checklist is an excellent resource for planning migrations without losing SEO value.
7. Monitor for external broken links. Other sites may link to incorrect URLs on your site. Periodically check Google Search Console and backlink tools for 404 errors triggered by external links, and create redirects for the most valuable ones.
8. Keep your XML sitemap updated. Your sitemap should only include URLs that return a 200 status code. Remove any 404 or redirected URLs from your sitemap to avoid confusing search engines. The official sitemap protocol provides formatting guidelines.

14. Monitoring and Alerting for 404 Errors

Even with the best prevention strategies, new 404 errors will inevitably appear. That is why ongoing monitoring and alerting systems are essential. The faster you catch a 404 error, the less damage it does to your SEO.

Building a 404 Monitoring System

A comprehensive monitoring approach should include multiple layers:

Layer 1: Google Search Console (Weekly Check). Review the Pages report in Google Search Console weekly to catch 404 errors that Google's crawler has discovered. Pay special attention to any pages that were previously indexed and are now showing as 404.

Layer 2: Scheduled Crawls (Monthly). Run a full site crawl with Screaming Frog, Ahrefs Site Audit, or Semrush Site Audit at least once a month. Compare results to previous crawls to identify new 404 errors. Semrush and Ahrefs both support scheduled, automated crawls with email notifications.

Layer 3: Real-Time Monitoring (Continuous). For high-traffic sites, consider implementing real-time 404 monitoring through your analytics platform or server-side logging. Google Analytics can be configured to track 404 page views, and server monitoring tools can alert you immediately when 404 error rates spike.

Layer 4: Uptime Monitoring (Continuous). Use the Bright SEO Tools Online Ping Tool or dedicated uptime monitoring services to continuously check that your critical pages are returning 200 OK status codes. Set up alerts for any pages that start returning error codes.

Recommended Monitoring Schedule

For a complete checklist-based approach to auditing your site, including 404 error detection, follow our complete SEO audit guide.

Complete 404 Error Remediation Action Plan

Here is a step-by-step action plan you can follow to systematically find and fix every 404 error on your website. This process is based on the methodologies recommended by Moz's SEO guide, Backlinko's technical SEO guide, and Google's own webmaster documentation.

Frequently Asked Questions

Below are the 10 most commonly asked questions about fixing 404 errors for SEO, with detailed answers based on the latest guidance from Google and the broader SEO industry.

Conclusion

404 errors are an inevitable part of running a website, but they do not have to damage your SEO. By understanding the difference between hard 404s and soft 404s, knowing when to use 301 redirects versus 410 status codes, designing effective custom 404 pages, and implementing robust monitoring systems, you can turn what is typically a liability into a well-managed aspect of your technical SEO strategy.

The key takeaways from this guide are straightforward: find your 404 errors using Google Search Console and crawl tools, prioritize the ones with backlinks and traffic, fix them with proper 301 redirects to relevant pages, and set up monitoring to catch new errors quickly. For pages with no suitable redirect target, use a 410 status code or let them return a proper 404 with a well-designed custom error page.

Regular auditing is the foundation of a healthy site. Use the Bright SEO Tools Website SEO Score Checker to assess your overall technical health, and dive into specific issues with our specialized tools for .htaccess redirects, spider simulation, and uptime monitoring. Combined with the strategies and code examples in this guide, you have everything you need to eliminate 404 errors as an SEO liability and keep your site running at its best.

For further reading on related topics, explore our guides on fixing crawl errors, fixing broken links, site architecture optimization, and SEO audit tips.