How to Fix 404 Errors and Broken Pages to Boost Your Website’s SEO

A single broken URL usually isn’t a crisis. A pattern of 404 Errors and Broken Pages is different. It can frustrate visitors, waste crawl attention, weaken internal links, and hide bigger maintenance problems inside your site.

This guide focuses on the repair workflow: how to find broken pages, decide whether to redirect, return a proper error, update links, or rebuild content, and then verify the fix in Google Search Console.

Key Takeaways

• A 404 is not automatically bad for SEO, but unresolved broken internal links and lost high-value URLs can hurt performance.
• Use Google Search Console, Screaming Frog, server logs, and analytics together because each tool finds a different part of the problem.
• Use a 301 redirect only when there is a truly relevant replacement page. Redirecting every 404 to the homepage is usually a poor fix.
• Soft 404 errors need special attention because the page may look broken to Google while still returning a 200 OK status.
• A monthly website maintenance checklist should include broken link checks, redirect testing, sitemap review, and 404 page UX review.

What 404 Errors and Broken Pages Actually Mean

A 404 status code tells a browser or search engine that the requested URL was not found. This can happen when a page is deleted, a URL changes, a product is discontinued, a blog post is unpublished, or someone links to the wrong address.

That does not mean every 404 should be redirected. Google has said that deleted or missing pages can return 404 or 410 status codes when the content is intentionally gone, while redirects are useful when a page has moved or has a replacement destination. Google’s redirect documentation explains redirects as a way to tell users and Google Search that a page has a new location.

The real SEO issue is not “a 404 exists.” The issue is context.

A deleted thank-you page with no links and no traffic is low priority. A service page that earned backlinks, ranked for commercial terms, and now returns 404 is urgent. A broken internal link from your homepage to an old landing page is also urgent because users and crawlers are being sent to a dead end.

404 vs. 410 vs. soft 404

Different HTTP status codes website errors send different signals:

Status or issue	What it means	Best use
404 Not Found	The URL is not available.	Use when a page is missing and may or may not return later.
410 Gone	The URL is permanently removed.	Use when content is intentionally retired and has no replacement.
301 Moved Permanently	The URL has a permanent new destination.	Use when a closely related page replaces the old one.
302 Found	The move is temporary.	Use for short-term testing or temporary page moves.
Soft 404	The page looks missing but returns 200 OK or redirects poorly.	Fix by returning the correct status, adding real content, or redirecting to a relevant page.

Soft 404 errors are especially common on WordPress sites with empty category pages, deleted product pages, thin search result pages, or custom templates that say “not found” while still returning a successful 200 response. Google describes a soft 404 as a page that appears to be missing but does not return the proper 404 response, which can limit crawl coverage because Google may waste time on duplicate or low-value URLs. Google Search Central’s soft 404 explanation is still a useful baseline for understanding why these pages cause crawl quality problems.

How to Find Broken Pages Before They Cost You Traffic

Do not rely on one report. Google Search Console 404 errors show what Google has discovered, but they do not show every broken link users may click today. A crawler shows internal links, but it may not reveal old backlinks. Analytics shows user impact, but it may miss crawl-only issues.

A practical audit uses four sources.

1. Start with Google Search Console

Open Google Search Console (GSC), then check:

• Pages under Indexing for “Not found (404)” and “Soft 404.”
• Crawl Stats for spikes in failed requests or unusual crawl behavior.
• URL Inspection for specific high-value URLs that recently changed.

Google’s crawling error documentation recommends using Crawl Stats and URL Inspection to diagnose availability and crawling issues, especially when Googlebot is not reaching important URLs as expected Google’s crawling error guide is the best primary source for this part of the workflow.

Export the affected URLs into a spreadsheet. Add columns for:

Column	Why it matters
Broken URL	The page returning the issue.
Status code	404, 410, 301, 302, 500, soft 404, or other.
Source	GSC, Screaming Frog, Ahrefs, server logs, or analytics.
Internal links found	Shows where the broken link appears on your site.
Backlinks found	Helps protect link equity.
Organic traffic before error	Helps prioritize fixes.
Recommended action	Redirect, restore, update link, return 410, or ignore.

This spreadsheet becomes your repair map. Without it, teams often redirect URLs one by one without understanding the pattern.

2. Crawl your site with Screaming Frog

Run a crawl in Screaming Frog SEO Spider and filter by Response Codes > Client Error (4xx). Then export Inlinks for each 404 URL. This shows the exact page, anchor text, and link location that points to the broken URL.

This step is where many fixes get real. If a broken page has ten internal links from blog posts, menus, or service pages, a redirect alone is not enough. Update the internal links to point directly to the live destination. This reduces redirect chains and improves crawl clarity.

For a broader technical review, pair this with a full website audit checklist so broken links are checked alongside sitemap health, page speed, metadata, and indexability.

3. Check backlinks with Ahrefs, Semrush, or GSC Links

If an old URL has external links, you may be losing authority that could support a live page. In Ahrefs or Semrush, export backlinks pointing to 404 URLs. In GSC, review Links > Top linked pages and look for deleted or outdated URLs.

Prioritize broken URLs that have:

• Referring domains from legitimate sites.
• Organic traffic history.
• Relevant replacement pages.
• Old campaign URLs still used in emails, PDFs, or partner sites.

This is how to recover lost link equity without creating messy redirects. The goal is not to redirect every dead page. The goal is to preserve value where the old page earned value.

4. Review analytics and user behavior

In Google Analytics 4, look for page titles such as “Page Not Found” or custom 404 page titles. If your 404 page title is consistent, you can find sessions that landed on or navigated to broken pages.

This matters because not every broken page is an SEO issue first. Some are conversion issues. If users hit a 404 after clicking a pricing link, quote form link, appointment button, or old ad URL, the business cost may be higher than the ranking impact.

How to Fix 404 Errors and Broken Pages the Right Way

Once you have the list, group every URL by intent. This prevents the most common mistake: redirecting everything to the homepage.

Choose the correct fix for each URL

Use this decision table before touching your redirect plugin or server file:

Situation	Best fix	Why
Page moved to a new URL	301 redirect to the new URL.	Preserves user path and consolidates signals.
Page deleted but has a close replacement	301 redirect to the closest relevant page.	Helps users find the next best answer.
Page deleted with no replacement	Return 404 or 410.	A clean error is better than an irrelevant redirect.
Broken internal link points to a typo	Correct the link at the source.	Avoids unnecessary redirects.
Old page has backlinks and no live equivalent	Rebuild or recreate the page if the topic still matters.	Protects traffic and link value.
Empty page returns 200 OK but has no real content	Add useful content, noindex where appropriate, or return a proper 404/410.	Fixes soft 404 errors.
Every 404 redirects to homepage	Replace with relevant redirects or proper errors.	Homepage redirects confuse users and may be treated as soft 404s.

The best fix is the one that matches user intent. If someone clicks an old URL for “WordPress maintenance pricing,” sending them to a generic homepage is weaker than sending them to a specific website maintenance service page.

Use 301 redirects carefully

A 301 redirect is the right choice when the old page has a clear new home. Google states that permanent redirects are appropriate for moved content, deleted pages with replacements, domain moves, and URL consolidation. Google’s site move documentation also notes that permanent redirects do not cause PageRank loss in that context.

For Apache servers, a simple redirect in .htaccess may look like this:

Redirect 301 /old-service-page/ https://websitesusa.com/new-service-page/

For Nginx, it may look like this:

rewrite ^/old-service-page/$ https://websitesusa.com/new-service-page/ permanent;

For WordPress, use a trusted redirect tool such as Redirection, Rank Math Redirections, or your host’s redirect manager. After adding a redirect, test it with:

curl -I https://example.com/old-service-page/

You want to see a clean 301 response that points directly to the final URL. Avoid chains like:

/old-page/ -> /older-page/ -> /new-page/ -> /final-page/

A redirect chain adds delay and makes maintenance harder. Update it so the old URL points straight to the final destination.

Fix broken internal links, not just broken pages

A redirect catches users after a mistake. Updating the source link prevents the mistake.

In WordPress, check these areas:

• Navigation menus under Appearance > Menus or the Site Editor.
• Buttons inside Elementor, Gutenberg, Divi, or other page builders.
• Blog post body links.
• Footer links.
• Sidebar widgets.
• Related post blocks.
• WooCommerce product descriptions and category text.
• XML sitemap entries.
• Internal links inserted by SEO plugins.

For ongoing publishing, build link checks into your WordPress content management process before new pages go live. Broken links often appear during content updates, not just site migrations.

Fix soft 404 errors with content or status codes

A soft 404 errors fix depends on why Google flagged the URL.

If the page is supposed to exist, improve it. Add real content, internal links, a clear title, and useful information that matches the query. This often applies to thin location pages, empty categories, tag archives, and pages created by filters.

If the page should not exist, return a proper 404 or 410. Do not serve a “Sorry, this page is gone” message with a 200 OK response. That tells systems the page exists even though the content says it does not.

If the page has a relevant replacement, use a 301 redirect. The replacement must be close. A deleted “blue running shoes” product page should not redirect to the homepage. It should redirect to the closest category, equivalent product, or related collection.

How to Prevent 404s From Coming Back

Fixing broken pages once is useful. Preventing them from becoming a recurring SEO leak is better.

Add 404 checks to your website maintenance checklist. Run a light check monthly and a deeper check after redesigns, migrations, plugin changes, WooCommerce catalog updates, or large content edits.

A working monthly process looks like this:

Maintenance task	Tool	What to check
Review GSC indexing issues	Google Search Console	New 404, soft 404, server errors, and crawl anomalies.
Crawl internal links	Screaming Frog	4xx errors, redirect chains, orphan pages, and incorrect canonicals.
Check redirects	Redirection plugin, Rank Math, server rules, or host panel	Confirm old URLs point to relevant live pages.
Review top linked 404 URLs	Ahrefs, Semrush, or GSC Links	Find lost backlink value.
Test key conversion paths	Manual QA	Menus, forms, quote buttons, checkout, booking links, and thank-you pages.
Review the custom 404 page	Browser and analytics	Make sure users get useful next steps.

Build a custom 404 page that helps users recover

Custom 404 page design does not replace technical fixes, but it can reduce website bounce rate from errors. A good 404 page should explain what happened, offer a search box, link to the most useful sections, and avoid blaming the visitor.

Use these 404 page UX tips:

• Keep the message short and human.
• Add a site search field.
• Link to your main services, blog, contact page, or popular resources.
• Keep the header and footer navigation visible.
• Track visits to the 404 page in analytics.
• Do not stuff the page with keywords.
• Return the correct 404 status code even if the page looks polished.

A strong custom 404 page does two jobs. It gives users a way forward, and it gives your team a measurable signal that something needs attention.

Be careful during redesigns and migrations

Most serious 404 problems start during a redesign, CMS change, domain move, or content cleanup. Before launch, export all current URLs, map old URLs to new URLs, and mark each one as redirect, keep, remove, or consolidate.

A simple migration map should include:

Old URL | New URL | Action | Priority | Notes

Do not wait until after launch to create this list. If Google and users discover hundreds of broken pages first, you are repairing damage instead of preventing it.

Conclusion

404s are not automatically ranking killers, but unmanaged 404 Errors and Broken Pages are a maintenance problem that can drain traffic, waste good links, and frustrate visitors. The right fix is not “redirect everything.” It is to audit the URL, understand its value, choose the correct status or redirect, update internal links, and verify the result.

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