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THOUGHTS / BEGINNERS GUIDE 12 Jun 2025 7 MIN READ

What Is a 404 Error Page and What Should You Do About It?

At some point, almost everyone who uses the internet has clicked a link and arrived somewhere unexpected — a plain white page, an unfriendly number, a dead end. That moment of mild disorientation is what a 404 error feels like from the inside. Here is what it means, why it happens, and how to make sure your website handles it with a little grace.

A 404 error means a web page cannot be found — either because it was deleted, moved, or the link to it was typed incorrectly. Every website gets 404 errors occasionally. The key is to have a helpful 404 page that points visitors somewhere useful rather than leaving them stuck. You should also fix any broken links you control — especially ones in your own menus, buttons, and content.

That number — 404 — is a standard code that web servers send when they receive a request but cannot find what was asked for. The page might have been deleted. It might have moved to a new address. Someone might have typed the link incorrectly. Whatever the cause, the visitor has arrived and found nothing waiting for them.

It is one of the most common events on the web, and it is not inherently your fault. But it does affect how visitors experience your site — and, in some circumstances, how Google sees it. Understanding what a 404 means is the first step to handling it well.

Why Do 404 Errors Happen?

Four situations account for nearly every 404 a visitor will encounter, and they are worth naming plainly:

  • A page was deleted or moved. If you removed a service from your website, or renamed a page and changed its address, any existing links to the old address will now produce a 404. This includes links from Google, other websites, and your own site.
  • A link was typed incorrectly. Someone might have copied your web address with a typo — either in an email, a social media post, or their own website.
  • A link on another website is out of date. If another site linked to a page of yours that no longer exists, their visitors will land on your 404 page.
  • The visitor typed the URL wrong. People mistype web addresses in the browser bar regularly.

Does a 404 Error Hurt Your Google Ranking?

A small number of 404 errors is completely normal and will not directly harm your Google ranking. Google understands that pages get deleted or moved — it handles this routinely, and it does not penalise a healthy site for it.

Where things become more serious is when a page that used to rank well in Google has been deleted without a redirect. That page may have spent years accumulating trust from links and clicks. When it disappears without a forwarding address, that trust disappears with it — and anyone who finds it through Google lands on a dead end instead of your content.

What a visitor does after landing on your 404 page depends almost entirely on what you give them to do next — which is why the page itself deserves more care than most businesses give it.

How to Find Broken Links on Your Website

Google Search Console (free to set up) shows you which pages on your site Google has tried to visit and could not find. Go to the Pages or Coverage report and look for "Not found (404)" — these are the gaps Google has already noticed. It is a useful place to start.

Free tools like Broken Link Checker (brokenlinkcheck.com) will scan your entire site and surface broken links — including internal ones you may not have thought to look for, like a menu item that still points to a page you deleted six months ago.

What Should a Good 404 Page Say?

Most websites have a 404 page — what separates a good one from a poor one is whether it treats the moment as an opportunity to help rather than a signal to give up. A default error page says "Page not found" and nothing more. A thoughtful 404 page does something different. Four qualities distinguish it:

  • Acknowledges the problem clearly and without jargon. Something like "Sorry, we couldn't find that page" is friendlier and clearer than a raw error code.
  • Offers useful next steps. A link to your homepage, your main services, or a contact form gives the visitor somewhere to go rather than simply closing the tab.
  • Keeps your usual navigation visible. If your site header and menu are still there, the visitor can navigate to wherever they actually wanted to go.
  • Does not alarm the visitor. A 404 is not a security problem or a broken website — your tone should be calm and helpful.

How to Fix a Broken Link

If you moved or renamed a page, the cleanest fix is to set up a redirect — a rule that automatically sends anyone visiting the old address to the new one. This is called a 301 redirect, and it carries the Google ranking the old page had built up to its new location. How you do this depends on how your website is built, and three cases cover most situations:

  • Squarespace and Wix both have built-in URL redirect tools in their settings panels — no technical knowledge required.
  • WordPress has redirect plugins (such as Redirection) that let you manage this without touching code.
  • Hand-coded or static websites typically use a configuration file or hosting settings to define redirects. Your developer can handle this in minutes.

When the broken link is on someone else's website and you have no way to change it, the best you can do is make your own 404 page as welcoming as possible — and, if it seems worthwhile, contact the other site to let them know. Most people are happy to fix a dead link if you point it out politely.

Frequently asked

Is a 404 error bad for SEO?
Not in most cases, no. A handful of 404 errors on a healthy site is simply the normal texture of the web — pages move, links go stale, and Google handles it without drama. The situation that does cause real damage is deleting a page that had built up genuine ranking or earned links from other websites. That accumulated trust vanishes with the page unless you set up a 301 redirect pointing to the best available replacement.
How do I know if my website has 404 errors?
Google Search Console is the most reliable place to start — go to the Pages or Coverage section and look for "Not found (404)". This shows you the pages Google has tried to reach and found missing. For a more complete picture of your own site's internal links, a free broken link checker tool like brokenlinkcheck.com will crawl your pages and flag anything pointing nowhere — including quiet ones buried in old content or footer menus.
What is the difference between a 404 and a 410 error?
Both signal to Google that a page cannot be found, but with different implications. A 404 says "not here right now" — Google will keep checking occasionally in case the page returns. A 410 says "permanently gone" — Google removes it from its index more quickly. For most small businesses, the difference is rarely worth worrying about. What matters more is whether the content has moved somewhere useful: if it has, a 301 redirect is the right choice regardless.
Do I need to have a custom 404 page?
There is no legal obligation, but a default server error page — the kind your hosting provider generates automatically — is cold, ugly, and offers the visitor nothing at all. A custom 404 page, even a simple one with your logo, a calm short message, and a link back to your homepage, transforms a dead end into something that still reflects well on your business. Most website platforms make this straightforward to set up in their settings.

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