Which 404 errors should you deal with first?

Prioritize missing pages that your business still expects customers to use. A 404 is a response from the server, the system delivering your website, saying it cannot find the requested resource. A link leading there is often called a broken or dead link. MDN's definition.

Ask one business question before changing anything: should this page exist today? Give that decision to someone who knows the offer. A developer can check an address, but ask the product or service owner to confirm whether the content belongs there.

Separate the missing page from the misleading link

A deleted page may correctly return 404 while a link pointing to it still needs attention. Ahrefs recommends reviewing internal links to reported 404 pages and removing or replacing them with relevant live links. Ahrefs repair guidance.

Consider this fictional example: a pottery studio has ended a weekend workshop, but its main navigation still advertises the booking page. Ask the studio owner whether another workshop genuinely replaces it. Independently, review that navigation link so it reflects what visitors can book now.

Do not measure success by whether every missing address disappears. Google explicitly accepts 404 responses for deleted pages without an equivalent replacement. Google's decision rule.

How do you turn a 404 report into a repair list?

Record the missing address, where the link appears and the intended destination. Keep a separate column for the business decision. That gives the person making changes something more useful than a screenshot full of warnings.

For URLs submitted for indexing, Google recommends inspecting where they were submitted from and updating the sitemap when needed. A sitemap is a list of website addresses. Use that investigation to check whether you are still submitting pages you deliberately removed. Google's inspection guidance.

Use the tools for a specific question

Ahrefs Site Audit can report pages returning 404 under Internal pages after checking a site. Its documentation recommends reviewing the internal links pointing to those pages. Ask your team for both the missing destination and the page containing the link. What the Ahrefs report means.

• Copy the complete problem address.
• Record the page and link text that sent you there.
• Identify who owns the missing content.
• Choose a proposed action before implementation.
• Leave space for the final response and verification result.

Review the list with the person managing your website. Ask them to explain one example from discovery to correction before approving the rest. Use the internal linking guide when reviewing links within your pages.

When submitted addresses need changing, follow the XML sitemap guide. Keep those changes on the same task list so the link edits and sitemap review have a named owner.

Should you restore a page, redirect it or leave a 404?

Choose according to what happened to the content. Google recommends redirecting moved content and returning 404 or 410 when content has been permanently deleted without a related replacement. Google currently treats 410, the Gone response, the same as 404. Google's recommendations.

A 301 redirect is a way to send a request for an old address to another page. Ahrefs lists appropriate 301 redirects among the available fixes, particularly when pages move or are deleted. Ahrefs on redirects.

Write down why the replacement fits

For an illustrative online shop, imagine a discontinued coffee grinder. Before selecting a destination, ask whether that exact grinder moved or whether the shop is proposing a different product. Make the owner explain why someone looking for the old item would find the replacement useful.

Avoid choosing the homepage simply because it works. Google warns that sending nonexistent pages there can create soft 404 problems. Google's warning.

Prepare a short mapping with the old address, approved destination and reason. Then use the 301 redirect setup guide for implementation. Have someone open the old link after the change and confirm the final page.

How can a page look broken without returning 404?

A soft 404 happens when nonexistent content is handled without the appropriate missing-page response, including problematic redirects to another page. Google says this can confuse both visitors and search engines. Google's soft 404 explanation.

Ask your developer to check the response as well as the visible message. A screen saying the page is missing should not be your only evidence. Google's guidance specifically calls for the proper 404 response on invalid URLs. Response requirements.

Use a small acceptance checklist

1. Open an address from the repair list.
2. Record what the visitor sees.
3. Ask the developer to record the actual response code.
4. If it redirects, record the final destination.
5. Compare the result with the decision approved by the content owner.

Do not hide these addresses through robots.txt, the file used for crawler access rules. Google advises against blocking 404 URLs this way, creating fake content or redirecting everything to the homepage. Google's handling advice.

Give your developer the expected behavior in plain language. For example: “This page was deliberately removed and has no replacement. Show our helpful missing-page screen and confirm the correct missing-page response.” Treat that as a suggested task brief, then ask for the checked result.

What should a helpful custom 404 page contain?

Explain what happened and offer a sensible next step. MDN supports custom error pages but advises keeping the reason for the unexpected page clear, even when using humor. MDN's design advice.

My suggested brief for a small business is deliberately simple. Write the message before choosing an illustration. Ask the designer to make the useful options easy to identify on a phone.

• A direct heading such as “We couldn't find that page”.
• A short suggestion to check the address.
• A route to the main product or service list.
• A contact option when the visitor needs help.
• Familiar branding without a long explanation.

As a made-up service example, a repair company could offer “View repair services” and “Contact the workshop”. Ask the owner whether those are the right choices for a stranded customer. Do not present a successful booking message when the visitor has not booked anything.

Test the wording with a colleague who did not design the page. Ask what happened and what they would click next. Rewrite any instruction they misunderstand, then check each offered link yourself.

How do you know the repair work is finished?

Close each task with evidence from the actual address. For a corrected link, open the page containing it and click through. For a redirect, start at the old address. For an intentional 404, ask for the response check as well as the visible page.

Agree on a practical handover

• The content owner approves the intended behavior.
• The person implementing the change records what changed.
• A reviewer tests the customer journey.
• Unresolved destinations remain visible on the task list.
• A named person checks new issues after future content changes.

If the work follows a redesign, incorporate the list into your website redesign checklist. Before another round of address changes, review the URL structure guide with whoever maintains the site.

For this week's review, report decisions made, customer links repaired and unresolved content questions. Keep intentionally missing pages on a separate decision list. Use that record when someone later asks why a particular address still returns 404.