Do 404s hurt seo and rankings?
Yes, 404 errors (Page Not Found) can hurt SEO and rankings. Here’s how:
- User Experience (UX): When visitors encounter a 404 error, it disrupts their user experience. This can lead to frustration and may result in them leaving your site. A poor user experience can negatively affect your site’s overall performance and user satisfaction, which can indirectly impact your SEO.
- Crawl Budget Waste: Search engines allocate a certain “crawl budget” to each website. If search engine bots repeatedly encounter 404 errors, it can waste their crawl budget. This means that the search engine may spend less time crawling and indexing the actual content of your site, potentially causing important pages to be missed.
- Indexing Issues: If important pages on your site return 404 errors, search engines may eventually deindex those pages. This is particularly problematic if the pages were previously ranking well. It’s essential to ensure that important and valuable pages are accessible to search engine bots.
To mitigate the negative impact of 404 errors on SEO:
- Regularly Check for Broken Links: Use tools like Google Search Console, broken link checkers, or website auditing tools to identify and fix broken links on your site.
- Implement 301 Redirects: If you’ve moved or deleted a page, implement 301 redirects to guide users and search engines to the new location or a relevant alternative page.
- Custom 404 Page: Create a custom 404 error page that provides helpful information and navigation options for users who encounter a broken link. This can help retain visitors and keep them engaged with your site.
- Monitor and Resolve Quickly: Regularly monitor your site for 404 errors and address them promptly when they are identified.
By maintaining a well-organized and error-free website, you can enhance user experience, preserve your crawl budget, and maintain or improve your SEO rankings.
If you want to audit your website to find the 404 pages, contact me at +91-9971928178