A healthy website needs clean, well-managed pages for good SEO. One issue many websites face is soft 404 errors. These errors may not look serious but can damage your site’s SEO performance.

In this blog, we’ll explain what soft 404 errors are, how they happen, their SEO impact, and how to fix them.

What Are Soft 404 Errors?

A soft 404 error occurs when a web page shows a “Page Not Found” message but returns a 200 OK status code. This confuses search engines like Google because the page appears live even though it’s empty or broken.

It’s called a “soft” 404 because technically, it’s not a real 404 error with the proper 404 status code. Instead, it behaves like a normal page but offers no useful content.

How Do Soft 404 Errors Happen?

Soft 404 pages usually happen when pages are deleted, moved, or broken but still return a valid 200 OK code. Some possible causes include:

• A deleted product or article page still existing on your website
• Pages with very thin or no content returning a 200 OK code
• Broken URLs redirecting to unrelated or empty pages
• Incorrect redirects leading users to a soft 404 page

These problems confuse both users and search engines, causing ranking and crawling issues.

SEO Soft 404: Why It’s a Problem

SEO soft 404 errors affect your site’s crawling, indexing, and overall ranking performance. When Google detects these errors, it lowers the page’s importance in search results.

Search engines may waste crawl budget on these useless pages. This means other valuable pages might not get crawled or indexed as often as needed.

Over time, soft 404 SEO impact includes lower rankings, traffic loss, and reduced website authority.

How Does Google Detect Soft 404 Pages?

Google uses its bots to crawl and analyze your website pages. If a page returns a 200 OK code but lacks useful content or displays a “not found” message, Google marks it as a soft 404 error.

These errors are listed in your Google Search Console under the “Pages” or “Coverage” section. Regularly checking your console helps track and manage these issues quickly.

Soft 404 SEO Impact You Should Know

The soft 404 SEO impact can be harmful if ignored. These pages waste valuable crawl resources and reduce your website’s trustworthiness.

If many soft 404 pages exist, search engines will crawl your website less efficiently. This affects how often your important pages get indexed or updated in search results.

In the long term, this may lead to keyword ranking drops, slower index rates, and lower site authority.

How to Fix Soft 404 Errors: 5 Quick Solutions

Now that you know why soft 404 errors are bad for SEO, here’s how to fix them effectively.

1. Set the Correct 404 Status Code

If a page no longer exists, it should return a proper 404 or 410 status code. Avoid displaying “page not found” text with a 200 OK code.

Configure your web server or CMS to serve the right HTTP status for deleted or missing pages.

2. Redirect to a Relevant Page

When a page is removed but has SEO value, redirect it to a relevant page using a 301 permanent redirect. This helps preserve link equity and user experience.

Only redirect to pages closely related to the deleted content to avoid misleading users and Google.

3. Add Useful Content to Empty Pages

If the page still matters, update it with valuable, original content. Replace thin content or empty pages with helpful information for users and search engines.

This keeps your website clean, active, and free from soft 404 pages.

4. Fix Broken or Incorrect Links

Regularly audit your website for broken or outdated internal links. Update or remove these links to prevent users from landing on soft 404 errors.

Use tools like Screaming Frog or Ahrefs to identify broken URLs within your site structure.

5. Use Google Search Console for Monitoring

Check your Google Search Console regularly for SEO soft 404 errors. It shows affected pages and the issue details.

Resolve these errors quickly to avoid any soft 404 SEO impact on your website rankings and performance.

How to Prevent Soft 404 Errors

Preventing these errors is better than fixing them later. Here’s how you can avoid them:

• Perform regular site audits to identify thin or missing pages
• Use proper status codes for deleted or moved pages
• Keep your sitemap updated and accurate
• Monitor Google Search Console weekly for crawl issues
• Avoid redirecting to irrelevant or empty pages

These steps help maintain a healthy, SEO-friendly website.

FAQs About Soft 404 Errors

Q1: What is a soft 404 error?
A: A soft 404 error happens when a page shows a “not found” message but returns a 200 OK code.

Q2: Why is a soft 404 bad for SEO?
A: Soft 404 errors waste crawl budget, confuse Google, and harm search rankings if left unresolved.

Q3: How can I check for soft 404 errors?
A: Use Google Search Console’s “Pages” or “Coverage” section to find soft 404 pages on your website.

Q4: Should I redirect all soft 404 pages?
A: No. Only redirect pages with SEO value to relevant alternatives. Others should return a proper 404 or 410 code.

Q5: Can soft 404 errors affect SEO rankings?
A: Yes, multiple soft 404 pages can lower your website’s trust, crawl rate, and keyword rankings.

Q6: How often should I check for soft 404 errors?
A: Check your Google Search Console weekly and fix soft 404 errors as soon as they appear.

Q7: Can adding content fix a soft 404 error?
A: Yes, adding valuable content can turn a thin page into a useful one, resolving the soft 404 error.

Conclusion

Soft 404 errors might look harmless but can severely damage your site’s SEO health. They waste your crawl budget, confuse search engines, and affect rankings over time.

Fixing and preventing soft 404 pages should be part of your regular SEO strategy. Always monitor your website using Google Search Console, fix broken links, and clean up thin pages.

A clean, error-free website ensures better crawling, indexing, and ranking for your valuable pages.