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Google Search Console sometimes displays Soft 404 error reports, which can be confusing for website owners. What is Soft 404 and how to fix Soft 404?

Although at first glance similar to the regular Error 404 , Soft 404 has different characteristics and impacts. If ignored, Soft 404 can be a 'silent killer' for the performance of your SEO strategy and the experience of your website visitors.

In this article, we will thoroughly discuss the definition and how to fix Soft 404 Error, the differences between Soft 404 and Error 404, and the dangers if ignored.

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What is a Soft 404 Error?
If you find that the submitted URL error appears in the Soft 404 list in Google Search Console, it means that Google has crawled your website and found that the page has no content.

In this case, the web page that is supposed to provide information is considered a blank canvas, irrelevant, or even non-existent. Even so, search engines still consider the page to exist and be valid.

The reason your website page is on the Soft 404 list is due to several reasons, namely:

The web server is misconfigured and returns an incorrect status code for a page that does not exist.
The website page does not exist, but it has been redirected to a new location, and the old URL does not redirect to the new one (does not do a URL redirect )
The page does not exist, but has been temporarily removed, and the server returns a 200 OK status code instead of 404 Not Found.
How do you find Soft 404 errors? You can use Google Search Console, in the following way:

In Google Search Console, go to the Page section , and click the Not indexed tab .
Then click on the Soft 404 error status .
This command will display a list of all the pages from your website that have turned into Soft 404 errors.
How to Fix Soft 404
How to Fix Soft 404
1. Make Sure It's a Soft 404
Before getting into the topic of how to fix Soft 404, first you have to make sure that you are really experiencing Soft 404, not a false warning sign.

Usually, pages that are incorrectly marked as Soft 404 by Google Search Console can be audited and verified. Here's how:

Log in to Google Search Console and click the “Submitted URL seems to be a soft 404” button from the Coverage Report. This button will bring up a complete list of pages that are Soft 404s.
Open the URL in a new tab.
If the page is valid and you want it to appear in search results, select the “ Validate Fix ” option. This will cause Google to recrawl the page and update the status code.
Once done, check the page and test whether the URL is active or not, by selecting the URL and clicking the “ Inspect URL” option. This command will give you information about the page being searched and give you the option to “ Request Indexing .”
If the page is functioning correctly, you don't need to make any further changes.
2. Update and Refresh Content
If your page is still considered a Soft 404 by search engines, it may be because your content lacks depth.

If that’s the case, immediately update and optimize your page content, then re-index your pages in Google Search Console. Once updated, your content will be easily found by search engines, and help eliminate Soft 404 errors.

To optimize content, you can do the following things:

Ensure high quality images and videos.
Informative and meaningful article.
CTA is clear.
Make sure the meta tags, meta titles, and meta descriptions are filled in according to SEO rules.
Contains FAQs and much more.
Also Read: How to Optimize Old Articles to Compete on Google

Keep in mind! When indexing an article, Google crawler may report the page as Duplicate . Therefore, improve the content in a proper way to improve SEO performance.

3. Deindex from Search Engines
Another way to fix a Soft 404 is to keep the page on your website, but de-index it from search.

You can do the following:

Add the no-index directive in the header to instruct search engines not to index certain web pages on your website.
This method may fix Error 404, as Google will not display that page under the Error report.

4. Proper Error Code Configuration (404/410)
If the page is unavailable or invalid, try configuring your website as a way to fix Soft 404 on Google Search Console.

If there is a page that is no longer relevant or broken, just delete it . Once deleted, the server will automatically display a 404 code when the page is accessed.
If you are sure the page will never return, use the 410 code. This will tell search engines that the page has been completely removed.
Make sure all error codes are set correctly. You can use a special tool to check this.
After making changes, submit the latest Sitemap to Google Search Console again, to notify Google of the changes you have made.
5. Use 301 Redirect
A 301 redirect is like a traffic sign in the digital world. When there is a change in the URL of a website page, the redirect will direct visitors and search engines to the new address permanently.

There are several ways to do a 301 redirect, namely:

Redirect by editing the .htaccess file (mod_rewrite)
The .htaccess file is a configuration file used by web servers running the Apache Web Server software. Common uses of the .htaccess file include URL rewriting, password protection, and blocking specific IP addresses.

Using WordPress Plugins
You can use plugins like Yoast SEO, Redirection, and Simple 301 Redirect that provide an interface for creating URL redirects.

Performing a 301 Redirect will tell search engines that the page is redirecting to a new URL and ensure not to display a Soft 404 for an existing page.

Difference between Soft 404 and Error 404
Although both are called 404, both Soft 404 and Error 404 are two different things in the eyes of Google Search Console. Therefore, it is important to understand the difference between the two so you know how to fix them.

Meaning of Error Code 404
Any HTTP status consisting of a 4xx response sequence means the request could not be fulfilled because the page was not found .

Examples of causes for 404 Not Found can occur:

If you accidentally delete a website page, the server will respond with a 404 Not Found.
If you connect to a website page that does not exist, the server responds that the page is not found (404).
In short, the 404 Not Found code means there was an error in the browser request because the requested page was not found.

Soft Code 404 Meaning
On the other hand, Soft 404 is not actually an official status code. It is a server response that tells you that your website page is empty.

So, the server gives a signal “everything is fine” (status code 200 OK ) on the web page, when in fact the page contains no useful information or even none at all.

Impact of Soft 404 on SEO
How to Fix Soft 404
This Soft 404 error code can harm your website's SEO performance . In addition to search engines not being able to crawl your web pages, this results in your website not ranking in search engines.

In addition, there asia mobile number list are several impacts that you should pay attention to if you ignore the Soft 404 error code in Google Search Console, namely:



1. Wasted Crawling Time

If your website has a lot of Soft 404 pages, Googlebot will spend valuable time crawling these useless pages, reducing the time it can spend indexing other important pages.

2. User Experience Goes Bad

When visitors find a Soft 404 page, they will feel disappointed and frustrated because they did not find what they were looking for. This can make them leave your website and look for information on other websites. This high bounce rate can be a bad signal for Google that considers your website not relevant or of good quality.

3. Wasted Link Equity

If a link leads to a Soft 404 page, it's like giving a gift to the wrong person. Instead of increasing valuable page authority, the link is wasted.

Conclusion
Soft 404 is an often overlooked issue, but it can have a significant impact on your website’s SEO performance. To maintain a healthy website and improve user experience, it’s important to regularly check and know how to fix Soft 404. That way, your website will be easier to find by search engines and visitors will feel more satisfied when browsing your website.

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In the year 2024, I am thankful for the invaluable opportunities to gain knowledge, drawer pulls and handles the meaningful connections that have brought richness to my life, and the steadfast resilience displayed in overcoming challenges,nurturing not only personal growth but also a deeper understanding of life's complexities.

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