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:
Dig: I'd like to see your page about 404 errors.
INBOUNDCPH's server: Okay here it comes.
But it could also be that there is a mistake, which is why it would sound like this:
Dig: I'd like to see your page about 404 errors.
INBOUNDCPH's server: sorry I don't know what page it is.
Know a 404 error
When an HTTP 404 appears on your screen, it means that even though the server is available, the specific page you are looking for is not. So it is a page that does not 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
Does a 404 error damage my website?
It's not good for your website to have errors, so 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 one. You can do this by using a 301 redirect. Correct the link.
2) Correct the link
From time to time, it is seen that there is a human error (yes we all make them), it is seen that the URL is simply entered incorrectly. If this is the reason for your 404 error, make sure you go back and correct your URL.
3) Restore deleted pages
Users may try to access a page that you have deleted from your website. So 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 this problem, you can restore a deleted page unless there is a business reason for removing the page.
Whatever the reason for removal, make sure you redirect them to pages with similar content - or if you've deliberately removed the page, you can redirect users to your front page.
