What Is 404 Error?
A 404 error is a message that says the page you tried to open cannot be found on that website. The server is working, but the page is missing or moved.
Definition
A 404 error is an HTTP status code. It tells your browser that it reached the website server correctly, but the exact page address URL does not match anything that exists there.
Why 404 Error Matters
404 errors matter because they can confuse visitors and waste their time. If people keep hitting dead pages, they may leave your site and not come back.
For SEO, many 404 errors can hurt your site quality. Search engines may crawl broken links instead of real pages, which can weaken your content coverage and user trust.
How 404 Error Works
When you click a link or type a URL, your browser asks the server for that page.
- If the page exists, the server sends it back with a 200 OK code.
- If the page does not exist, the server sends a 404 Not Found code and often shows a 404 error page.
Site owners can design a custom 404 page with helpful links, a search box, or a short message to guide visitors back to useful content.
Example of 404 Error
Imagine a shop removes a product page, but old links to that product still appear on blogs or in search results. When someone clicks one of those links, the server cannot find the page, so it returns a 404 error. A good fix is to redirect that old product URL to a similar product or a category page.
FAQs
Why do I see a 404 error on a website?
Most of the time, the page was deleted, moved without a redirect, or the URL was typed or linked with a mistake.
How can I fix 404 errors on my site?
Update broken links to point to the correct page. If a page has moved, set up a 301 redirect from the old URL to the new URL. If the page should exist, recreate it.
Are all 404 errors bad for SEO?
Some 404s are normal, for example when you remove low quality pages on purpose. Problems start when important pages or many internal links return 404s and are not redirected.
How can I find 404 errors?
You can use tools like Google Search Console, website crawlers, or analytics reports that show broken links and pages that return a 404 status code.
