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How To Detect And Fix Soft 404s And 404 Errors

404 Errors

404 errors are response codes that signify a missing webpage that probably won’t be back up again soon. On the other hand, a soft 404 is a label Google uses to identify 404 pages so it doesn’t waste resources indexing them. There are cases, however, where a webpage is misidentified as a missing page. This issue can be caused by having overly similar pages or lack of content, which can be harmful to search engine optimisation efforts.

The common causes of 404 errors are either missing pages or linking errors. If a page no longer exists, you can fix this by restoring the page or providing a 301 redirect to another related page. For linking errors, you simply have to find and fix all the broken links. Tools such as Google Analytics, Google Search Console, and various other backlink research programs can help you correct these problems.

Soft 404s, however, can’t be detected with crawling tools because they aren’t real 404s. What you can do is use crawling tools to find thin or duplicate content so they can easily be fixed. When solving these problems, you should consider merging multiple thin content pages with related topics or fixing technical issues that may be causing duplicate content.

It’s wise to always incorporate crawling tools in your SEO strategy and regularly crawl your website to quickly detect any 404 errors or soft 404s.

The information in this blog post was taken from https://www.searchenginejournal.com/technical-seo/404-vs-soft-404-errors/.  Visit the link to know more.

Any business can see great online visibility with the help of professional SEO services. Check out the homepage of Position1SEO and avail of our excellent packages today.

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Author: Jason Ferry
Jason Ferry is an SEO specialist based in the United Kingdom. Taking pride in his many years of experience in the search engine optimisation industry, he has honed his skills in various digital marketing processes. From keyword marketing, website auditing, and link building campaigns, to social media monitoring, he is well-versed in all of them. Jason Ferry’s excellent skills in SEO, combined with his vast experience, makes him one of the best professionals to work with in the industry today. Not only does he guarantee outstanding output for everyone he works with, but also values a deep relationship with them as well.

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