What is a 404 Error Page?
When a user tries to access a page that is not there on our website, they are directed to a 404 error page, often known as an error page. It is the page that your server shows when it cannot locate the URL that the user has requested.
One of the most typical issues a web visitor runs into is the 404 error code. Servers must respond to client requests, such as when a user tries to access a website.
How to respond to a 404 error?
The website user won’t be able to access that particular page if the site is no longer up. However, a person who encounters a 404 error should follow these guidelines:
- Check the URL once more for errors:
A 404 error can only be the consequence of one spelling mistake. Check, for instance, whether.htm should be.html or the opposite.
- Reload the website:
404 errors could be a temporary bug.
- Do an online search:
Try doing a web search to locate the page because it might have been relocated to a different URL.
- Use another device:
It’s possible that the user’s browser is having a client error. Clear the cache and cookies on the first device if the page loads properly on another one.
Why to fix 404 errors?
- A website’s user experience suffers when there are a lot of broken, dead, or nonexistent links; this will probably drive visitors away.
- A website’s navigation becomes less clear when there are 404 errors. The search engine optimization (SEO) efforts of the website may also be harmed by a large number of non-responsive URLs, which will result in the website showing up less frequently in search results.
- The percentage of visitors to a site who leave it fast, known as the bounce rate, is another factor that Google considers when evaluating a website.
How to locate and fix 404 issues on your own website?
The many techniques listed below can help you identify and resolve 404 errors:
- To find links that lead to 404 errors, use a website research tool like Google Search Console or Screaming Frog SEO Spider.
- If a page’s URL has changed, the previous URL should be kept in a redirect file. The simplest way to resolve a 404 problem is through redirects.
- Restore deleted pages if there is no legal business needed to do so. The link should be redirected if there is a valid cause to keep it erased.
- Instead of using the default 404 page that a browser provides, create the page contents for a 404 status code. Custom error answers include a message and may invite the user to contact the webmaster to get the problem resolved.
Q1. What is 404 Error Page?
404 error is the most common error when the server can not locate the requested page.
Q2. Does 404 Error Bad for a Website?
While 404 error is very common and almost all websites have a certain number of error pages. However, you must keep a track of all the 404 pages and need to fix them if the number goes really high.
Q3. What Are The Common Causes of 404 Error?
There are a number of possible reasons why a page displays a 404 error. Here are some common causes.
- The page moved to a new address but the URL was not redirected.
- User wrongly types the URL.
- It can happen because of server issues.
