404 Error: How to Fix It (Easy Guide)
While optimizing your website, you encounter several SEO-related
problems that hamper your work, and 404 is one of them. It is an error
code that appears when the website you are trying to access cannot be
found on the server. In short, it means that the URL you have typed or
clicked on does not exist. There can be various reasons for this error
including incorrect link, deleted page, change in URL, etc.
404 error can cause a lot of damage to your website as it can result in a
high bounce rate. That is why it is important to fix this error as soon as
possible. And, in this article, we will show you how to do just that.
First, let’s take a look at how the 404 error appears on your website?
When a user tries to access a broken link, the following message
appears on their screen: “404 Not Found, The requested URL was not
found on this server. Additionally, a 404 Not Found error was
encountered while trying to use an Error Document to handle the
request.”
This message looks different on different browsers but the meaning is
still the same. The website you are trying to reach is not available right
now. If a website has multiple 404 pages, it can cause serious damage
to the website’s ranking.
Disadvantages of 404 error:
There are several disadvantages of 404 errors that your website needs
to face if these errors are not fixed. Some of the key cons are:
Poor user experience:
When a user is unable to find the content they are looking for, it
creates a bad user experience. This increases the chance of them
leaving your website and going to your competitor’s site.
High bounce rate:
A high bounce rate is one of the biggest disadvantages of 404 errors.
When a user clicks on a broken link and sees a 404 error message, they
are likely to leave the site immediately. This increases the bounce rate
which is not good for your website.
Lower-ranking in search engines:
If a website has a lot of 404 errors, it can lower its ranking of that site in
search engine results pages (SERP). Moreover, lower rankings give a
direct advantage to your competitors and make it difficult for you to
attract new visitors.
Lower sales:
A website with 404 errors is likely to see a lower number of sales and
conversions. This is because the website is unable to provide a good
user experience which is necessary for making a sale. When the overall
user experience is seamless, you don’t need to put much effort into
marketing to boost sales. Thus, it’s important to find and fix all the 404
errors on your website.
So, how do you fix 404 errors on your website? Below are some of the
methods you can use to make your website technically sound:
1. Check for broken links
The first step is to check if there are any broken links on your website.
You can do this manually or by using a tool like Screaming Frog. Once
you have found the broken links, redirect them to the correct page
using 301 redirects.
2. Restore deleted pages
If you have accidentally deleted a page from your website, it can result
in a 404 error. In such cases, you will need to restore the deleted page.
To do that, simply go to your Google Analytics account and look for the
page under “Behavior > Site Content > All Pages.”
3. Change the URL
Sometimes, you may need to change the URL of a page due to various
reasons. But if you don’t redirect the old URL to the new one, it will
result in a 404 error. So, if you have changed the URL of a page, make
sure to add a 301 redirect from the old URL to the new one.
4. Check the .htaccess file
If you are still seeing 404 errors on your website, there might be
something wrong with your .htaccess file. To fix this, simply connect to
your website using an FTP client and check for any syntax errors in the
file. If you find any, simply delete them and save the file.
5. Contact the host
If you have tried all the above methods and still see 404 errors on your
website, there might be a problem with your server. In such cases, you
will need to contact your host and ask them to fix the issue.
Wrapping up!
404 error can cause a lot of damage to your website if it’s not fixed
properly. That is why it is important to redirect the broken links to the
correct pages. You can also use various tools to check for broken links
on your website. If you’re using WordPress CMS, you can use plugins
like Broken Link Checker to easily fix 404 errors. If you want to know
more about broken links then you need to connect with a digital
marketing agency.