Not found (404) in Search Console: when to fix it
Google requested the URL and got a 404. Why most 404s are harmless, which ones cost you traffic, and when to redirect instead.
Updated
Not found (404) means Google requested the URL and your server answered with HTTP 404, “not found”, so the URL is not indexed. If the page was removed on purpose, that is the right response and you can ignore it. Act only on 404s for pages that moved, were deleted by mistake, or still get links and visits.
| Where it shows | Indexing, then Pages, under “Why pages aren’t indexed” |
|---|---|
| Is it a problem? | Usually not; yes for pages that earned traffic or links |
| How Google treats it | Not indexed; previously indexed URLs are removed |
| Typical fix | 301-redirect moved pages, restore mistakes, leave the rest |
What does “Not found (404)” mean?
Google’s documentation on status codes says it doesn’t index URLs that return a 4xx code (other than 429), removes them from the index if they were there, and gradually crawls them less often. Google’s help page for the report suggests that if a page has moved, you return a 301 redirect to the new location.
A 404 is honest. The opposite case, a missing page that returns 200 with a “not found” message, is reported as a Soft 404, which is the one to fix.
Is it a problem?
For most of the list, no. Every site that has existed for a while collects 404s. They are worth acting on in three cases: the page used to bring in search traffic, other sites link to it, or your own site still links to it. Those are the 404s that lose visitors and the value of links.
What causes it, most likely first?
- Deleted pages, such as discontinued products or old posts, which is usually fine.
- Changed URLs without redirects, after a redesign, migration or a slug edit.
- Broken internal links and stale sitemap entries.
- External links with typos or to pages that never existed.
- URLs Google extracted from scripts or other code, which are harmless.
How do I deal with 404s?
1. Sort the 404s by whether anyone wants them
Export the list. Mark each URL: a page that used to get traffic or links, a page that moved, a typo or junk URL, or a page you deleted on purpose. Your analytics and Search Console's Performance report show which ones once earned clicks.
2. Redirect moved pages to their new address
For pages that moved or have a close replacement, add a 301 redirect from the old URL to the specific new one. Don't redirect everything to the homepage.
3. Restore pages deleted by mistake
If a page that earned traffic was removed by accident, publish it again at the same URL.
4. Fix your own broken links
Find internal links, menus and sitemap entries that point to the 404 URLs and update them. URL Inspection shows the referring page and sitemap Google found the URL in.
5. Leave real 404s alone
Pages you removed on purpose with no replacement, and junk URLs other sites invented, should keep returning 404 (or 410). That is the correct answer.
6. Validate only if you fixed real pages
If you restored or redirected pages, click Validate fix on the Not found (404) reason. Leftover deliberate 404s will keep the count above zero, which is fine.
How do I check the result?
Inspect a redirected URL: Test live URL should show the redirect, and the old URL later moves to Page with redirect. Restored pages should show “URL is on Google” after recrawling. Validation is useful only for the URLs you actually fixed.
How long does it take?
Redirects and restored pages are picked up as Google recrawls the old URLs, usually within days to a few weeks. Deliberate 404s can stay in the report for a long time because Google occasionally rechecks them; that is harmless.
Check what status code any URL returns with the free SEO checker.
Sources
Common questions
Do 404 errors hurt my rankings?
Not by themselves. Google has said for years that 404s on URLs that shouldn't exist don't hurt the rest of your site. What costs you is losing a page that earned traffic or links without redirecting it.
Should I return 404 or 410 for deleted pages?
Either works. Google treats 4xx codes other than 429 the same way: the URL is not indexed, and already indexed URLs are removed. 410 is a slightly clearer statement that the page is gone for good.
Where do these URLs come from if I never created them?
Broken links on other sites, old URLs from a previous site on your domain, typos, scrapers, or URLs Google found in JavaScript. Google also tests URLs it finds in odd places. They are harmless as long as they return 404.