Google Explains Why Soft 404s Are Bad

Table of Contents

1. Introduction
2. What is a Soft 404 Error?
3. Why Google Sees Soft 404s as Problematic
4. How to Identify Soft 404 Errors
5. How to Fix Soft 404 Errors
6. Monitoring and Maintenance
7. Conclusion
8. FAQs

Introduction

Imagine you've put in hours of effort to create an engaging, informative website, only to discover Google isn't indexing your pages correctly. Instead, it treats some of your valid pages as if they don't exist. Frustrating, right? This common issue is known as a "soft 404" error. While it may not sound alarming, it can severely affect your site's performance on Google search results.

Why should you care about soft 404 errors? For starters, they can squander valuable resources and significantly hinder your site's visibility on Google. In this blog post, we'll delve into what soft 404s are, why Google views them as problematic, and how you can identify and fix them to improve your site's search engine optimization (SEO).

What is a Soft 404 Error?

A soft 404 error occurs when a web page returns a 200 status code (indicating success) but appears to Google as if it should return a 404 status code (indicating the page is not found). In simpler terms, the page is technically accessible, but its content leads Google to believe the page doesn't offer any valuable information, essentially signaling that the page is an error.

Why Google Sees Soft 404s as Problematic

Limiting Crawl Budget

One of the primary reasons why soft 404 errors are considered detrimental is that they waste your site's crawl budget. Google allocates a certain number of pages it will crawl on your site within a given timeframe. When Google's bots encounter numerous soft 404s, they waste valuable crawling resources on these unhelpful pages rather than indexing your actual, content-rich pages.

Gary Illyes from Google mentioned that while search engine crawlers have ample resources and can afford to waste some, most websites don't have this luxury. Soft 404 errors consume resources that could otherwise be used to index valuable content on your site.

Poor Search Visibility

The second reason soft 404s are problematic is that these pages are unlikely to appear in search results. Even though they return a 200 status code, Google's algorithms determine that the content is essentially empty or not useful. As a result, these pages are rarely, if ever, shown in search results, impacting your site's overall visibility.

Illyes described soft 404s and other similar errors as "the banes of my existence and all other robots'," indicating just how disruptive they can be for search engine indexing.

How to Identify Soft 404 Errors

Using Google Search Console

One of the most effective tools to identify soft 404 errors is Google Search Console. This tool provides a detailed report on your site's indexing status and highlights any issues that Google’s bots encounter during crawling.

1. Crawl Errors Report: Navigate to the Crawl Errors section under the "Coverage" report. Here, you’ll find a list of detected soft 404 errors.
2. URL Inspection Tool: Use the URL Inspection Tool to check specific pages. This tool provides detailed information about how Google views each page, including whether it’s considered a soft 404.

Analyzing Server Logs

Server logs can offer valuable insights into how search engine bots are interacting with your site. By analyzing these logs, you can identify patterns and specific URLs that might be returning a 200 status code but are perceived as soft 404s.

How to Fix Soft 404 Errors

Ensure Correct Status Codes

The simplest way to fix soft 404 errors is to ensure that pages supposed to show error messages return the correct HTTP status codes. For instance, if a page is no longer available or doesn't exist, it should return a 404 or 410 status code.

1. Using Redirects: For pages that have moved, use 301 redirects to guide users and search engines to the new location.
2. Custom 404 Pages: Create informative custom 404 pages that clearly indicate the page isn’t available while offering useful information like links to other sections of your site.

Improve Page Content

Google might misinterpret thin or low-quality pages as soft 404s. To avoid this, ensure all your pages offer valuable and relevant content.

1. Content Quality: Add substantial and meaningful content to thin pages. Ensure they meet user intent and answer queries effectively.
2. Regular Updates: Routinely update your content to maintain its relevance and value.

Use Structured Data

Implementing structured data can help Google understand your content better. Structured data provides explicit clues about the page's meaning, making it less likely for Google to misinterpret it as a soft 404.

Monitoring and Maintenance

Regular Audits

Conduct regular audits of your site to ensure no new soft 404 errors arise. Tools like Screaming Frog or SEMrush can automatically scan your site and detect these issues.

Stay Updated with Google’s Guidelines

Google's algorithms and guidelines are constantly evolving. Stay updated with any changes in SEO best practices by following reliable sources like Google’s Webmaster Blog.

Conclusion

Soft 404 errors can significantly derail your SEO efforts by wasting your crawl budget and decreasing your site's visibility on search engines. Identifying and fixing these errors is crucial for ensuring efficient indexing and improving your site's search performance. Regular audits, correct use of status codes, quality content, and structured data are key steps in keeping your site error-free and optimized for search engines.

FAQs

What is a soft 404 error?

A soft 404 error occurs when a page returns a 200 status code but appears to Google as a page that should return a 404 status code due to its lack of valuable content.

How do soft 404s affect my site's SEO?

Soft 404s waste your crawl budget and prevent valuable pages from being indexed properly. They also decrease your site’s visibility in search results.

How can I identify soft 404 errors?

Use Google Search Console to check for soft 404 errors under the "Coverage" report. Analyzing server logs can also help identify these issues.

What can I do to fix soft 404 errors?

Ensure pages meant to return errors use the correct status codes, improve the quality of thin pages, and implement structured data to help Google better understand your content.

How often should I audit my site for soft 404 errors?

Regular audits, at least once a quarter, are recommended to catch and fix soft 404 errors promptly. Use automated tools to help streamline this process.