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Video Summary
Imagine you’re trying to visit a webpage, but when you get there, you find a message that says “404 Error — Page Not Found.”
These are those frustrating ‘Page Not Found’ messages that seem to pop up at the worst possible times – right when you think you found exactly what you’re looking for! It’s frustrating when you’re the one looking for information, but imagine what people think if it’s your website that gives the 404 error. You definitely don’t want that to happen!
By the end of this video, you’ll know exactly what causes 404 errors, how they impact your website, and most importantly, how to fix them.
Video Transcript
Imagine you’re trying to visit a webpage, but when you get there, you find a message that says “404 Error — Page Not Found.”
This means the page you’re looking for doesn’t exist at the location you provided or at the link you clicked. Frustrating, right? Well, here’s how to fix it!
Hello, my name is Jeffrey Kirk. Today, we’re going to take a look at 404 errors.
These are those frustrating ‘Page Not Found’ messages that seem to pop up at the worst possible times – right when you think you found exactly what you’re looking for! It’s frustrating when you’re the one looking for information, but imagine what people think if it’s your website that gives the 404 error. You definitely don’t want that to happen!
By the end of this video, you’ll know exactly what causes 404 errors, how they impact your website, and most importantly, how to fix them.
And I’ll give you some pointers on what to do if you encounter a 404 error on someone else’s website. So, let’s get started!
What exactly is a 404 error anyway?
Simply put, a 404 error occurs when your web browser can’t show the page you’re looking for. There are a few common reasons why a 404 Error might pop up:
- Broken Links is one of those. The link clicked might be outdated. It was correct once, but the destination changed.
- Deleted Pages: The page might have been removed from the website you’re trying to go to.
- Misspelled URLs: Sometimes, a typo in the web address can lead to a page that doesn’t exist, so the link itself is wrong.
Essentially, a 404 is a signal from the server saying, ‘I can’t find what you asked for.’
How 404 errors affect SEO
404 errors can significantly impact SEO in a variety of ways:
User Experience
Encountering a 404 error frustrates users, and often pushes them to leave your site.
That results in higher bounce rates and low engagement. And these signal to search engines that your site might not be very valuable to searchers.
Crawl Efficiency
Search engine bots waste time and resources crawling 404 pages instead of indexing new and updated content.
This can reduce the efficiency of your site’s overall crawl budget, meaning that your good pages take longer to show up in the search results.
Loss of Impact
If external sites link to a page that returns a 404 error, they are really pointing nowhere and the link juice from those backlinks gets lost.
This can negatively affect the page’s authority and, consequently, your website’s rankings.
Loss of Indexing
Persistent 404 errors may lead to de-indexing of those pages by search engines. Important pages that are no longer indexed will not appear in the search results. And that reduces visibility.
Your Site Health
A high number of 404s can indicate poor site maintenance, which search engines might interpret as a sign of a low-quality site.
In contrast to these issues, by addressing 404 errors proactively, you maintain a healthy, user-friendly site that performs well in search engine rankings.
So what if you have a 404 error on your site now? How do you go about fixing the problem?
Identifying the Error
The first step in fixing a 404 error is to figure out why it’s happening.
First, make sure the link is correct. If it’s a link you’ve shared, double-check for typos or mistakes in the URL. There are several tools you can use to do this.
Google Search Console is a fantastic tool for identifying 404 errors. After logging in, click on “Pages” in the left-hand menu. You will find a breakdown of your website’s pages, categorized as either “indexed” or “not indexed.”
Scroll down to see the section titled, “Why pages aren’t indexed.” It looks like this… Look for where it says, “Not Found (404)”. Click that line, and Google will show you all the pages with 404 errors.
It’s a real good idea to do this from time to time to see if Google has identified any new problems.
Fixing the URLs
Okay, there are a few common ways to fix 404 errors, but it depends on the cause.
First, if the error is due to a mistyped URL, simply correct the typo. Double-check your links and make sure they’re pointing to the correct pages.
If the page was moved or renamed, update the links to the new URL. If the error is due to a broken link, you’ll need to update or remove the link. Go into your website’s content management system and fix the link so it directs users to the correct page. This is especially important for internal links within your site.
Setting Up Redirects
You can also set up a redirect from the old URL to the new one. Doing this is a really good way to provide a fix, especially if you deleted an old page or you can’t change the page someone else is linking to.
A redirect automatically guides users from an old URL to the new one. This way, visitors coming from outside your site won’t hit a dead end.
If you’re using WordPress, there are plenty of plugins that make setting up redirects a breeze. You can also set up redirects manually with an .htaccess file. This method requires a bit more technical knowledge, but it’s a powerful way to manage redirects on your site.
Redirects are especially useful to help users and search engines find your content, even if the original URL is no longer valid.
If you want to see the steps to create redirects, check my video on that subject.
Creating a Custom 404 Page
Of course, despite your best efforts, some users may still encounter 404 errors simply because they or someone else made a typo. You can’t handle every possible misspelling! Or can you?
It’s actually possible to create a custom 404 page. This is a special page that captures all 404 errors and provides helpful information to keep users on your site.
A custom 404 page can include a friendly message, links to popular pages, or even a search box. This way, even if users can’t find the specific page they were looking for, they can easily navigate to other parts of your site.
A well-designed 404 page can turn a frustrating experience into a positive one and keep users engaged with your site.
What Can You Do as a Visitor?
Earlier I mentioned I would give you some pointers on what to do if you encounter a 404 error on someone else’s website. Real quick, the first thing you should do is check the URL. Make sure there’s no typo in the web address you’re trying to visit.
If you did everything right, then go to the website’s home page and try to find the content from there.
And finally, if all else fails, look to see if the website has a search function. Put in a keyword or two and search the site for the content you’re looking for. That’s it.
Thanks for watching! If you found this video helpful, please give it a thumbs up and subscribe to my channel for more tips and tutorials.
And let me know in the comments if you have any questions or other topics you’d like to see covered.
Your business deserves to be seen online, and I will help you get there.
Thanks for watching and have a great day!
