Google has confirmed that 404 errors are a normal part of the web and do not harm your SEO.
John Mueller, a Google Search expert, explained why websites should not worry about 404 pages.
Google 404 SEO: 404 Errors Are Not a SEO Problem
According to Google, 404 error pages happen when a URL is invalid or no longer exists. This does not signal low-quality content. It also does not use up your crawl budget.
- 404 Page: URL doesn’t get indexed. This is normal.
- 410 Page: Works like a 404; also not a problem.
- Homepage Redirect: URL may stay as a soft 404. Not ideal, but not harmful.
- Category Redirect: URL may confuse users temporarily; explain why users landed there.
- 200 Status with 404 Content: Treated as a soft 404.
Mueller emphasized that a 404 page is part of how the web works. Every site naturally has them.
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When Should You Fix 404s?
While 404s are normal, there are exceptions. Pages that should exist or were important for users might need fixing. Otherwise, letting a 404 exist is fine.
- Check pages in Google Search Console; seeing 404s there is normal.
- Only fix 404s for critical pages that users expect to access.
- Avoid redirecting every 404 to your homepage—it can confuse users and create soft 404s.
Conclusion:
For site owners, 404s are not a ranking issue. Google treats them as a normal part of the web.
Focus on creating quality content and user-friendly pages, and don’t stress about every 404.
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