How to Fix Soft 404 Errors in Google Search Console

What Are Soft 404 Errors?

A soft 404 error happens when a webpage sends a “200 OK” status code to search engines to say that everything is fine, but the page doesn’t have any real content or shows a “not found” message. In short, it’s a fake 404. Google thinks the page is broken, but your server says it is.

Picture yourself going into a store to buy something specific. The shopkeeper takes you to a shelf and says, “Here it is!” but the shelf is empty. That’s exactly what Google sees when it comes across a soft 404 page. It expects to find useful information based on the server’s signal, but it doesn’t find anything useful.

Why It Matters

If you don’t fix these mistakes, your website could have a lot of problems:

• Problems with indexing: Google might stop indexing these pages altogether, which would make it harder for people to find you in search results.
• Crawl budget wasted: Googlebot only has so much money to check on your site’s pages. Soft 404s waste this budget on pages that don’t matter instead of your best content.
• Bad user experience: People who land on these pages often leave right away, which raises your bounce rate.
• Less authority: Google may think your whole website is of lower quality if it sees too many “empty” pages.

Common Causes of Soft 404 Issues

You need to know what caused the problem before you can fix it. These are the most common offenders:

• Thin Content Pages: These pages don’t have much text or useful information. Google thinks they are mistakes because they don’t add anything useful.
• Deleted Pages: Sometimes a page is deleted, but the server still sends a “200 OK” success message instead of a proper 404 error code.
• Wrong Redirects: Sending deleted pages to the wrong places, like the homepage, often causes a soft 404.
• Technical Problems: If the CMS or server is set up wrong, it can make empty pages by mistake.
• Blocked Resources: If your robots.txt file stops Google from seeing images or CSS/JavaScript, the bot may think the page is empty, which will cause a soft 404.

How to Identify Soft 404 Errors in Google Search Console

Google Search Console (GSC) is the best tool for finding these problems. This is the fastest way to find them:

Open Google Search Console and go to the Coverage report (or Pages in newer versions).

1. Check out the “Why pages aren’t indexed” list or the Errors section.
2. Look for the row that says “Soft 404.”
3. Click on the row to see the exact URLs that Google has marked.

Important: Always check the page by hand. Google sometimes incorrectly marks pages as soft 404s. Checking the content yourself makes sure you don’t fix pages that aren’t really broken.

How to Fix Soft 404 Errors

Once you have your list of problematic URLs, use these practical methods to resolve them.

1. Return the Correct Status Code

Your server needs to be honest if a page really doesn’t exist anymore. Set up your server to send a 404 (Not Found) or 410 (Gone) status code. This makes it very clear to Google that the page is gone and should not be in search results. Use 410 if the removal is permanent; it can speed up the process of deindexing.

2. Improve Thin Content Pages

If the page should be there but is marked as a soft 404, it probably doesn’t have much to offer. To prove to Google that the page is real, add useful content.

• Make sure your writing is clear and explains the subject.
• Include pictures, videos, or graphs.
• Add links to other pages on your site that are related.

A short, clear paragraph explaining what the page is for can fix the problem.

3. Implement Proper Redirects

If you took down a page but have a good reason to keep it, don’t just delete it. A 301 redirect will take users and search engines to the new, relevant page.

If you delete /seo-tips-2023, for instance, send it to /seo-tips-2024. Don’t send all of your deleted pages to your homepage. Google doesn’t like this and will often see those redirects as soft 404s because the content on the homepage doesn’t match the old URL.

4. Customize Your 404 Page

This doesn’t technically “fix” the soft 404 status, but having a useful custom 404 page makes the experience better for users. Add a search bar and links to popular pages so that people don’t just get stuck and leave.

Keep Your Site Healthy

Fixing soft 404 errors is an important part of technical SEO. You can protect your site’s reputation with Google by making sure your server sends the right signals and your pages have useful content.

Use Google Search Console to check your website on a regular basis to find these problems early. Don’t delete pages without a plan, and always make sure your content is new and useful.

Don’t let technical problems that aren’t obvious hurt your ranking. Today, check your Google Search Console, fix any problems, and keep your site healthy for both users and search engines.