How to Resolve or Prevent Soft 404 Errors on Google Search Console.

Soft 404 errors are a common yet often misunderstood issue that can negatively impact your website’s SEO performance. Unlike hard 404 errors, which occur when a page is explicitly missing, soft 404s happen when a page returns a 200 OK status code but lacks meaningful content, effectively acting as a dead end for users and search engines. For developers and SEO technical experts, resolving and preventing soft 404 errors is critical to maintaining a healthy crawl budget and ensuring optimal search engine visibility.  

In this article, we’ll dive deep into what soft 404 errors are, how to identify them, and actionable strategies to resolve or prevent them. Let’s get started.

What is a Soft 404 Error? 

A soft 404 error occurs when a webpage returns a 200 OK HTTP status code (indicating success) but behaves like a 404 page by displaying no meaningful content. This confuses search engines, as they expect a 200 status code to correspond to a valid, content-rich page.

Common scenarios that trigger soft 404 errors include: 

• Custom 404 pages that return a 200 status code. 

• Pages with thin or duplicate content.  

• Empty category or tag pages in e-commerce sites.  

• Redirects to irrelevant or non-existent pages.  

Why Soft 404 Errors Matter 

Soft 404 errors can harm your website’s SEO in several ways:  

1. Wasted Crawl Budget: Search engines spend resources crawling pages that offer no value, reducing their ability to index important content.
2. Poor User Experience: Users landing on pages with no meaningful content are likely to leave, increasing bounce rates.
3. Indexing Issues: Search engines may deindex pages mistakenly identified as soft 404s, reducing your site’s visibility. 

The Negative Impact of Soft 404 Errors

Soft 404 errors can have several negative effects on your website:

• Search Engine Efficiency: Search engines have limited resources for crawling websites. Spending time on low-value pages reduces their efficiency and can prevent important content from being indexed.
• User Experience: Pages with minimal content provide a poor user experience, leading to higher bounce rates and lower engagement.
• SEO Impact: Search engines prioritize content-rich, valuable pages. Soft 404 errors can signal to search engines that your site has low-quality content, potentially harming your overall search rankings.

How to Identify Soft 404 Errors  

Google Search Console (GSC) is the primary tool for identifying soft 404 errors. Here’s how to find them:

1. Log in to Google Search Console.
2. Navigate to Pages under the Indexing section.
3. Look for URLs marked as “Soft 404” in the error list.

Additionally, you can use tools like Screaming Frog, Sitebulb, or DeepCrawl to audit your site for soft 404s. These tools simulate search engine crawlers and flag pages with thin or missing content.  

How to Resolve Soft 404 Errors  

If a page has been deleted and is no longer relevant, make sure it returns the correct status code:

• Set up a 404 or 410 Error: If the page is permanently gone, configure it to return a proper 404 (not found) or 410 (gone) status code. This ensures that search engines know the page is no longer available and should not index it.
• Customize Your 404 Page: While you’re at it, consider customizing your 404 error page to better align with your brand. Include helpful features like a search bar or links to popular content to enhance the user experience.

2. Add Valuable Content

If the soft 404 error is caused by a page with minimal or low-quality content, then adding relevant and high-value content can resolve the issue:

• Create Quality Content: Make sure the content you add is relevant to the page’s topic. Use well-researched keywords, write informative copy, and add internal links to other related pages on your site.
• Enhance the Page with Multimedia: Consider adding videos, infographics, images, or other media to create a more engaging and valuable page for your visitors.
• Avoid Filler Content: Don’t just add content for the sake of it. Ensure everything on the page is genuinely helpful to your audience and improves the user experience.

3. Use 301 Redirects for Moved Pages

If the page has been moved to a new location, set up a 301 redirect:

• Implement a 301 Redirect: This will automatically send visitors (and search engines) to the new page. A 301 redirect passes on most of the link equity from the old page to the new one, preserving your SEO efforts.
• Keep User Experience in Mind: Ensure that the redirected page is relevant and provides a seamless experience for users arriving from the old URL.

4. Fill Empty Tags or Archives

If the soft 404 error is caused by empty tag pages or archives, the solution is simple:

• Start Using Tags: If you have created tags but haven’t assigned any content to them, start using these tags with relevant posts. This will populate the tag pages, resolving the soft 404 errors.
• Optimize Archives: For category or archive pages, ensure they contain relevant posts or products. Consider adding introductory content to make these pages more valuable to both users and search engines.

5. Prioritize Fixing Important Pages First

Not all soft 404 errors are created equal. Prioritize fixing the most important pages first:

• Focus on High-Value Pages: Begin by fixing soft 404 errors on pages that are most important for your SEO or user experience. These could be pages with high traffic, significant backlinks, or valuable content.
• Address All Soft 404 Errors Eventually: While it’s important to prioritize, make sure to address all soft 404 errors in time to maintain a healthy website.

Informing Google of Updates

After making changes to your website, it’s crucial to inform Google about the updates:

• Request a Recrawl: In Google Search Console, use the “URL Inspection” tool to request a recrawl of the updated pages. This helps Google quickly recognize the changes and update its index accordingly.
• Monitor Progress: Keep an eye on the “Coverage” report in Search Console to ensure that the soft 404 errors are resolved. Continue to monitor your site regularly for any new issues.

Conclusion

By addressing soft 404 errors effectively, you can improve your website’s crawl efficiency, enhance user experience, and boost your SEO performance. Regularly audit your site, implement best practices, and stay proactive to keep soft 404 errors at bay. 

If you’re facing complex development challenges or need expert assistance with SEO optimization, don’t hesitate to reach out. We’re here to help you overcome obstacles and achieve your goals. Have any questions, additional insights, or tips to share, we’d love to hear from you drop a comment below!

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