404 Not Found error is an HTTP status code that indicates the server is unable to find a particular web page. As a matter of fact, this usually happens when either the URL is wrong or the page has been deleted.

You need to understand that 404 Not Found errors can have a huge impact on the performance of your website. They can even influence how search engines such as Google index your pages.

If you think from your target audience’s perspective, it’s bound to disengage website visitors and can even lead to a clunky user experience. Alongside this, it can be detrimental to your website’s credibility and damage the current search engine rankings of your site.

In this comprehensive guide, you’ll get to learn everything related to the 404 Not Found error. Furthermore, you’ll also know about the ways to fix the 404 Page Not Found error. So, it’s time to get started.

Table of Contents

What Is a 404 Not Found Error?

A 404 error not found means that the webpage, a particular website visitor is trying to access, couldn’t be found on the website’s server. One common reason is that you might have mistyped the page in your address bar.

In fact, mistyped URLs or even typos are some of the most common reasons behind the error 404 not found. When a link taking the visitor from one website to another has a typo, it won’t work at all. These are better known as broken or dead links.

You can even face a 404 error when a page has already been deleted or its URL address has changed. In such scenarios, the error might occur when you click on a link from a different website.

Some other reasons might be when you’re trying to access the page through a bookmark or in case the bookmark gets suggested by your browser.

Why Does the 404 Not Found Error Occur?

A 404 error, not found, usually happens when the web server isn’t able to find the page requested by the user. Some of the reasons why it must be happening are as follows:-

Casual spelling mistakes in the URL are bound to prevent the server from finding the page the website visitor is looking for.
In case a website owner mover or deletes a page without having a proper redirect, then visitors are likely to see a 404 Not Found error.
Let’s say the domain name isn’t properly pointed to the server, so the system might fail to find the requested resource.
Linked content which points to a nonexistent page will trigger a 404 error(not found), no matter whether the links are internal or external.
If there are incorrect file permissions, it can block access to particular web pages, which can result in an error.
404 errors can also occur due to an incorrect or corrupted .htaccess file.

How to Fix the 404 Not Found Error?

Getting a 404 Not Found error doesn’t mean that the web page doesn’t exist. The website visitors might be able to resolve this issue all by themselves. Some of the different approaches that you can utilize to fix a 404 error are as follows:-

If you receive a 404 error, chances are that your page didn’t load properly. It can be fixed by refreshing or reloading the page. You will be able to refresh the page just by clicking the refresh button present at the top of the web browser.
You must review the URL to make sure that it is the right one. For this purpose, you can look for any spelling mistakes or errors that may have any misplaced forward slashes or dashes. It’s crucial to remember that it will work perfectly well for the clean URLs. The reason behind this is that clean URLs are search-friendly URLs, which can be read and understood without any issues.
Going back to the previous directory levels or pages to find out if there’s a distinct approach to find the webpage of your choice. You can work your way back through the pages till you find the homepage again. In fact, you should continue to remove the sections of the URL in between the slashes till you find a directory level which works for you.
Do you know that most websites have a search function, particularly for the website’s content? You can utilize this function to try to find out the page. You just need to enter the keywords which will relate to the page that you want to view.
A search engine will help you find where the content is present right at that moment. You just need to enter the domain and relevant keywords. It will help you locate the webpage. But you must remember that this approach will only get you results in case the website still exists.
In case you are unable to access a webpage, that can be the result of an issue with your device. For this purpose, you may be able to access the webpage with the help of a mobile browser with a proper data network. Alongside this, you can think about using a different browser than the default one to access the URL of your choice.
A 404 error not found can indicate that there’s an issue with your existing browser. So, you should consider clearing your cache and even deleting cookies. Try to delete all of the cookies which are related to that specific website. It will allow you proper access to the URL.
If all of these approaches don’t work, there’s always the option to contact the website’s administrators regarding your issues. You’ll find out the organization’s contact information on the main header of the website or on a particular contact page. There, you can provide the administrators with the specific circumstances of the 404 page not found error, along with the measures you took to resolve this issue. It will help them find a solution quickly, or they might reply that the content doesn’t exist anymore.

How to Find 404 Not Found Errors on Your Website?

It’s crucial to routinely check for the error 404 page not found to keep the website running seamlessly and not frustrate your visitors. Some of the methods that will help you identify and fix these issues in the right manner are written below:-

Google Search Console can help you not just in monitoring but also in maintaining your site’s health. You just need to go to Indexing and then Pages. Afterwards, opt for the Not Found(404) present beneath the Why Pages aren’t indexed section. This will ensure that you get to see a whole list of pages which might be triggering the 404 page not found errors. Another approach can be to enter the URL that you want to search for in the search bar at the top. This tool will let you know whether the URL is indexed or whether it is showing a 404 Not Found error.
You can use tools such as Screaming Frog or Ahrefs’ Broken Link Checker to find out these 404 page not found errors. These tools will be your aid in scanning the domain and finding out the errors or even broken pages. It will help you correct them before they can even have a negative impact on the user experience or ranking on the search results.
Automated tools can be quite helpful, but do you know what’s better? It’s to conduct manual checks, which will prove immensely beneficial as it’s a more hands-on approach. Furthermore, you should also consider fixing the errors reported by the website visitors. The users might find the 404 page not found errors, which were missed by the automated scans. It can also include the pages that these tools haven’t even indexed.

How Can SEO Toronto Experts Help You?

Do you know that SEO Toronto Experts are known for their technical SEO expertise? In fact, our SEO professionals have fixed the 404 page not found errors of many of our clients’ websites. Alongside this, we improved their websites on all fronts so that they rank higher on the search results and get them the results they were hoping to achieve. We can also do the needful for your website as well. Contact us now to get rid of your website’s 404 Not Found issues, and we’ll ensure that our team fix these errors once and for all. Contact us now for a free consultation regarding the same.

Conclusion

404 not found errors are a common issue for many websites, but they must not be a big problem. When they’re taken care of in the right manner, they can be fixed without much effort, and chances are that they’ll be easier to prevent in the future. So, whether it is a broken link or a missing page, controlling these errors ensures your website runs smoothly and your site visitors have a great experience.

All you need to do is stay proactive and check your website on a regular basis for these 404 errors. Moreover, set up the right type of redirects and maintain a cleaner content structure. With a properly maintained website, your site visitors will get a better user experience, and your website will have better search rankings.

404 Not Found: What Is It And How To Fix It?