Finding and Fixing 404 Errors Using Google Search Console
Finding and Fixing 404 Errors Using Google Search Console
Introduction
404 errors can be a major problem for any website and can have a significant impact on your website’s performance and search engine rankings. Fortunately, Google Search Console (GSC) can help you quickly identify and fix 404 errors on your website. In this article, we’ll discuss how to use GSC to find and fix 404 errors on your website.
What is a 404 Error?
A 404 error is an HTTP status code that indicates that a webpage can’t be found or accessed. This can happen for a variety of reasons, such as a broken link, a page that has been moved or deleted, or a mistyped URL. Whenever a user tries to access a page that results in a 404 error, the browser will display a “404 Not Found” error.
Why are 404 Errors Problematic?
404 errors can be problematic for several reasons. First, if you have many 404 errors on your site, it can make it seem unprofessional and poorly maintained, which may cause users to leave your site. Second, Google has stated that it will take 404 errors into account when determining your website’s ranking in search engine results. Finally, 404 errors can also prevent search engine crawlers from properly indexing your site, which can result in lower search engine rankings and fewer visitors to your website.
How to Find 404 Errors Using GSC
Now that you know what a 404 error is and why it’s important to fix them, let’s look at how you can use GSC to find and fix 404 errors on your website.
The first step is to open GSC and select the site you want to check for 404 errors. From there, click on “Crawl” in the left-hand navigation menu and then select “Crawl Errors.” This will open a list of all the errors Google has found on your website.
Next, select “Not Found” from the dropdown menu at the top of the page. This will filter the list to show only 404 errors. You can then click on any of the 404 errors to see more information, such as the URL of the page that is causing the error.
Fixing 404 Errors Using GSC
Once you’ve identified the 404 errors on your website, you can use GSC to help you fix them. Depending on the cause of the error, there are several different ways to fix it.
If the error is caused by a broken link, you can use GSC to find the correct URL and update the link. If the page is no longer available, you can use the “Fetch as Google” feature in GSC to generate a new page with a 410 status code, which tells search engines that the page is no longer available.
You can also use GSC to create a 301 redirect to send users and search engines to the correct page. Finally, if the page is no longer relevant, you can use GSC to generate a 410 status code.
Conclusion
404 errors can be a major problem for any website, but with the help of Google Search Console, you can quickly identify and fix them. In this article, we discussed how to use GSC to find and fix 404 errors on your website. We also discussed the various ways you can use GSC to fix the errors, such as creating a 301 redirect or generating a 410 status code for pages that are no longer available. By using GSC to identify and fix 404 errors, you can help ensure that your website is properly indexed by search engines and can help improve your site’s search engine rankings.