Error 404: what the error page means and how to use it

How does a '404 error' come about?

The typical trigger for an error 404 message is when website content has been removed or moved to another URL. There are also other reasons why an error message could appear. These include:

• The URL or its content (such as files or images) was either deleted or moved (without adjusting any internal links accordingly)

• The URL was writtenincorrectly (during the creation process or a redesign), linkedincorrectly, or typed into the browser incorrectly

• The server responsible for the website is not running or the connection is broken

• The requested domain name can’t be converted to an IP by the domain name system (DNS)

• The entered domain name doesn’t exist (anymore)

Dead links are often left for long periods of time because operators have no idea of removing or moving the linked content. Many websites still appear on the SERPs even though they are no longer available online (or at least not on the stated URL). Certain related websites such as forums, news sources, etc. are often unaware of the removal of the article.

How to fix the error '404 Not Found'

For rare cases, a 404 mistake is a reason to celebrate. The visitors to the website did not find the information they were searching for at the end of the day. The existence of a 404 page, however, does not necessarily mean that the requested information is not at all available. The solution to the original error can be found easily in many situations and the user can be quickly guided to the web page they were

HTTP 404 errors can damage a website’s ranking and reputation

Search engines like Google and Bing, if they have several 404 errors, will have a negative impression of a web. Once the crawlers have found that 404 codes meet many requests, it presumes that the site is not well maintained. Dead links influence the ranking of a website and Google will decrease or even avoid indexing it if there are too many 404 error pages