What is a 404 error?
When you send a request to the server that you want to view a page, it's actually as if you were talking to a real person and would therefore sound something like this:
You: I'd like to see your 404 error page.
INBOUNDCPH's server: Okay here it comes.
But it could also be that there is an error, which is why it would sound like this:
You: I'd like to see your 404 error page.
INBOUNDCPH's server: Sorry, I don't know what this site is.
Know a 404 error
When an HTTP 404 appears on your screen, it means that although the server is available, the specific page you are looking for is not. In other words, it's a page that doesn't exist or a page that is broken.
A 404 error can appear in many different ways. Here are some of them:
- 404 Not Found Error
- 404 HTTP 404
- 404 Page Not Found
- Error 404 Not Found
- HTTP 404 Not Found
- The requested URL was not found on this server
- 404 File or Directory Not Found
Is a 404 error hurting my website?
It's not good for your website to have errors, both users who encounter a 404 page and search engines will try to access a dead page that provides no value to them or you.
To avoid dead pages, you should periodically scan your website for dead links.
If you find pages with dead links, you can do the following:
1) Redirect the page
The simplest way to fix your 404 error is to redirect the page to another. You can do this by using a 301 redirect. Correct the link.
2) Correct the link
From time to time, human error (yes, we all make them) is seen when the URL is simply typed in incorrectly. If this is the reason for your 404 error, make sure you go back and correct your URL.
3) Recover deleted pages
Users may try to access a page that you have deleted from your website. Users will not stop trying to find a page just because you have deleted it from your website. Users may also try to access the page from external links. To solve the problem, you can restore a deleted page, unless there is a business reason why the page has been removed.
Whatever the reason for the page being removed, make sure you redirect them to pages with similar content - or if you deliberately removed the page, you can redirect users to your front page.
