When managing a website, you’re bound to encounter various errors that can affect user experience and search performance.
One error type that often causes confusion is the “soft 404 error.” While it may sound similar to a standard 404 error, it functions differently and can have unique implications for your site’s search engine optimization (SEO).
In this blog post, we’ll explore everything you need to know about soft 404 errors: what they are, how they differ from regular 404 errors, their impact on SEO, and how to fix them.
What Is a Soft 404 Error?
A soft 404 error occurs when a web page appears to be missing, but instead of returning a proper 404 HTTP status code to indicate the page doesn’t exist, the server sends a 200 OK status code.
To put it simply, the server tells search engines the page is valid, even though the content (or lack of it) suggests it isn’t.
From a user’s perspective, the page may look like a “Page Not Found” error or contain irrelevant or thin content. When search engines pick up on this they’ll flag the page as a “soft 404” because it isn’t functioning as it should, and is not providing value.
What Causes Soft 404 Errors?
Soft 404 errors are not caused by a technical malfunction but from search engines interpreting the page as a poor experience for users. Let’s go over some of the reasons search engines would do this:
Thin or Irrelevant Content
Thin content refers to pages with little or no meaningful information. If a page doesn’t provide useful answers to users’ search queries, it risks being classified as a soft 404. Placeholder pages with phrases like “Coming Soon” or empty blog templates are classic examples. These pages may technically exist but provide no value, prompting search engines to flag them.
Incorrect HTTP Status Codes
Web servers communicate the status of a page through HTTP codes. A 200 status code tells search engines that everything is fine, while a 404 signals that a page doesn’t exist. However, if a non-existent page incorrectly returns a 200 status code, search engines might mistake it for a valid page, leading to a soft 404 error.
Duplicate Content
Pages that mirror content already available on your site without offering anything unique can trigger soft 404 errors. When search engines can’t identify a clear reason to keep a duplicate page indexed, they may treat it as though it lacks value, similar to an empty or irrelevant page.
Dynamic Pages with No Results
Dynamic pages, like search or category listings, often populate content based on user input or database queries. When these pages display a “no results found” message but still return a 200 status code, search engines might see them as useless content, leading them being flagged as soft 404 errors.
CMS or Plugin Issues
Content management systems (CMS) and their plugins can sometimes cause issues by auto-generating empty pages, therefore low-value. For example, a misconfigured plugin might create archive pages for tags or categories with no content. Search engines coming across these would most likely identify them as poor-quality, resulting in soft 404 errors.
How to Find Soft 404 Errors
Soft 404s are not always easy to spot, but they can be identified through tools like:
Google Search Console (GSC)
Google makes it straightforward to find soft 404s. Simply navigate to the “Pages” section within the Index Coverage Report. Here, Google flags pages it believes are soft 404s, helping you pinpoint which ones might need attention. This is often your first stop for identifying crawling and indexing issues.
Analytics Tools
Third-party tools like Screaming Frog, Ahrefs, or SEMrush scan your website and reveal pages that search engines might view as soft 404s. These tools allow you to identify empty or low-value pages that return a 200 status code when they shouldn’t. They also provide insights into status codes and page content, making it easier to catch potential issues..
Manual Testing
Sometimes a hands-on approach is best. Visit pages yourself and ask, Does this page provide meaningful content or value to users? If not, but it still shows a 200 status code instead of an appropriate error message, you likely have a soft 404 issue..
Fixing Soft 404 Errors
Once you’ve identified soft 404s, the next step is deciding how to address them. The right approach depends on a few key questions:
- Is the page intentionally removed, or is it gone by mistake?
- Can an existing page take its place?
- Does the page still offer value but simply need some content updates?
Your answers to these questions will help guide you to the best solution from the following options:
Serve the Correct HTTP Status Code
If a page no longer exists, it’s best to configure your server to return a 404 or 410 HTTP status code. This clearly signals to search engines that the page is gone, helping them avoid wasting crawl budget on a non-existent page. Choose this approach when you’re certain the page has no replacement or future purpose.
Redirect to Relevant Pages
If the page has been removed but there’s a suitable alternative (like a similar product or article), a 301 redirect is the way to go. This makes it so both users and search engines are sent to the right page, preserves link equity and improves the overall user experience.
Provide Useful Content
Sometimes, a page is mistakenly flagged as a soft 404, even though it still has value.In these cases, the solution is to make sure the page contains high-quality content. Adding relevant text, images, and other elements can turn the page into something useful for both users and search engines. This approach works best when the page is still relevant but lacks enough content to be considered valuable.
Check CMS and Themes
At times, poorly configured content management systems (CMS) or themes can create empty or low-value pages that trigger soft 404 errors. If this is happening, it’s a good idea to audit your CMS settings and templates to prevent these issues..
Preventing Soft 404 Errors
Preventing soft 404 errors is just as important as fixing them and by taking a proactive approach, you can avoid headaches down the road.
Here are some practical strategies to help you prevent soft 404s from arising in the first place:
Set Up Custom 404 Pages
It’s important to have custom 404 pages that clearly explain to users when a page is missing. Instead of showing a generic error, use this opportunity to guide users to other valuable content on your site. For example, include links to popular or related pages, a site search bar, or a clear navigation menu. This will turn a potentially frustrating experience into one that encourages users to stay engaged and remain on site.
Avoid Empty or Placeholder Pages
Never publish pages with placeholder content like “Coming Soon” or “Under Construction.” These pages can easily be flagged as soft 404s because they lack meaningful content. Instead, either ensure the page is fully ready for launch before making it live or consider using a temporary “404” page if the content isn’t yet available. This way, search engines will know not to index incomplete pages.
Use Structured Data
Adding structured data to your pages helps search engines understand your content better and classify it correctly. For example, you can use structured data to indicate whether a page is a product, blog post, or article, helping to mitigate the potential of search engines mistakenly treating valuable pages as soft 404s. Not to mention, structured data also improves your chances of being featured in rich snippets and other enhanced search results.
Soft 404 vs Regular 404
A regular 404 error occurs when a user or search engine attempts to access a page that doesn’t exist on the server, and the server correctly responds with a 404 HTTP status code. This tells both users and search engines that the page cannot be found and is not available.
While both errors indicate that a page is missing, the key differences reside in how they are handled by the server and recognized by search engines.
Server Response
The behavior of regular 404 errors is clear-cut: when a page is missing, the server returns the 404 status code, which leaves no room for confusion. Soft 404 errors, however, create ambiguity because the server acts as though the page exists by returning a 200 status code. This inconsistency can confuse both users and search engines.
Detection
Soft 404 errors are usually flagged by search engines. Regular 404 errors, however, are straightforward and typically don’t require the same level of attention since they are accurately communicated to both search engines and users.
Soft 404 Error’s Effect on SEO
Yes, soft 404 errors can negatively impact your site’s SEO if left unaddressed. Here’s why:
Wasted Crawl Budget
Search engines allocate a specific crawl budget to sites, which determines how many pages they will crawl and index. If search engine crawlers encounter soft 404 pages on a regular basis, they may deprioritize crawl frequency, putting more important pages and overall site at risk of losing rankings.
User Experience
Soft 404 pages can be frustrating for users who land on a page expecting relevant content, only to find incomplete or irrelevant information. This poor user experience can lead to higher bounce rates, lower engagement, and an overall decline in site usability. Over time, these negative user signals can indirectly impact SEO performance by signaling to search engines that your site is not providing the high-quality content users are looking for.
Indexing Issues
When a page is flagged as a soft 404, search engines may decide to stop indexing it altogether. Since the page is not providing valuable content, search engines may remove it from the index, meaning it won’t show up in search results.
Diluted Link Equity
If other sites link to a page that’s flagged as a soft 404, the link equity (or SEO value) of those backlinks is wasted. Essentially, any inbound links pointing to a soft 404 page won’t pass on their value because the page itself isn’t providing useful or relevant content. This means you lose out on the potential benefits of those backlinks, which could have helped improve your site’s authority and rankings.
Mobile-First Indexing Impact
With search engines prioritizing mobile-first indexing, soft 404 errors can complicate how mobile content is prioritized. If mobile users come across incomplete or irrelevant content on flagged soft 404 pages, it can lead to a poor mobile experience, which could negatively affect rankings.
Core Web Vitals
Although soft 404 errors are primarily related to content issues, pages flagged as soft 404s often suffer from minimal interactivity or performance issues. This can contribute to poor Core Web Vitals metrics, which are an important ranking factor for search engines. Pages with low interactivity and performance issues can harm your site’s ability to rank well, especially for mobile users.
Not All Soft 404s are Bad
A soft 404 is typically not a good thing to have on your site. However, there are instances where a soft 404 may be tolerated but should ultimately be addressed on a reasonable timeline Here are a few examples:
Search Result Pages with No Matches
On-site search result pages that return no matching items may get flagged as soft 404s. This typically happens with e-commerce sites or content-heavy platforms where users can search for very specific terms.
While this might trigger a soft 404, it’s typically not a major issue if the page provides an out, such as guiding users to broader categories or encouraging them to refine their search.
Geographic Restrictions
When content is restricted based on a user’s location, search engines may interpret the page as a soft 404. This typically happens when the page isn’t fully accessible and doesn’t provide meaningful content to users in certain regions. The restriction could be due to licensing agreements, compliance requirements, or regional content limitations.
While this can flag a soft 404, it’s generally not a concern as long as the restriction is intentional and managed appropriately.
Pages Under Maintenance
If a site is updating a page, it may return a 200 HTTP status to maintain indexability. During this time, the page may display a message, such as ‘temporarily unavailable,’ which could trigger a soft 404. This typically isn’t a big issue as long as the page is updated in a timely manner.
Once the content is restored, search engines usually recognize the change, and the soft 404 clears up on its own.
