How to eliminate 404 errors from your blog

404 error is one of the most common issues webmasters and bloggers face that negatively affect the experience of their users and SEO if it continually happening without being fixed. In this guide, I will show you how to detect and eliminate 404 errors from your blog.

A 404 error occurs when a user tries to access a webpage that no longer exists or never existed on your website. You may see our expert step-by-step guide on how to add a favicon to your blog or website.

Now, let us start.

Why should you eliminate 404 errors from your blog?

A 404 error (AKA, Page Not Found) is a status that indicates that the server could not find the requested page. It occurs for various reasons, such as a page being deleted, the URL being changed, or a typo is in the link.

If you don’t eliminate 404 errors from your blog or website, two things happen; people will get frustrated when they can’t find what they’re looking for. Secondly, search engines like Google could bring down your website’s ranking because it shows poor site maintenance.

What are the causes of 404 errors

• Deleted webpages: When content is removed or a URL is changed without proper redirection.
• Broken Links: Internal or external links that no longer work because the destination page has been removed or renamed.
• Typos in URLs: Mistakes in typing URLs when linking to pages can lead to 404 errors.
• Changing Permalinks: When permalink structures are updated, the old URLs might lead to a 404 error if not properly redirected.

How to find where 404 errors are on your blog

Before you can fix 404 errors, you need to find them. Here are some methods for finding 404 errors on your blog:

1. Use Google Search Console

Google Search Console is one of the best tools to find 404 errors. It provides a list of crawl errors which mean those pages are in a 404 error status. Here is how to use it:

• Go to Google Search Console.
• Navigate to “Coverage” or “Crawl Errors” under the “Index” section.
• Review the list of URLs that show 404 errors.

2. Use broken link checkers

There are various online tools, like BrokenLinkCheck.com, Ahrefs, and Screaming Frog, that scan your blog and provide you a report of any broken links that result in a 404 error.

Thier job is to highlight both internal and external links on your blog that causes 404 errors. You may see our expert step-by-step guide on top best tools to check blog traffic.

3. Use Server Logs

Checking server logs can help you track the navigation of people on your blog. In this way, if they access non-existent pages (experience 404 errors), you can determine. Note that this method is technical but it is good for larger websites that have expereiced web managers..

You can access your server logs through your control panel (cPanel) or an FTP client. You may contact your hosting provider for more information on server logs. You may see our guide on how to get a cPanel (step-by-step).

How to fix 404 errors on your blog

Now that you’ve found where 404 errors are on your blog or website, it’s time to fix them. Below are our step-by-step guides on how to do it:

1. Set up 301 redirects

A 301 redirect permanently redirects people from the old URL to a new one. This is essential when you delete or move content. How to set up a 301 redirect? Follow the steps below:

• If you are using WordPress, you can install a plugin like Redirection to easily set up 301 redirects.
• For non-WordPress blogs, you may need to modify the .htaccess file on your server and add a line of code below: Redirect 301 /old-page /new-page. You may see our guide on how to block visitors from certain locations on your website.

2. Update your web pages manually

Another best way to eliminate 404 errors from your blog or website is to manually update your web pages and ensure that all internal links point to the correct page and external links point to valid resources.

If a web page no longer exists, link it to a new page when updating it. You may see our guide on how to reset a WordPress website to default.

3. Update 404 error page

If a page was accidentally deleted or removed and causing 404 errors, you should consider to restore it. The most effective method on eliminating 404 errors from a blog or website is adding a 301 redirect from a new URL to point to the old URL.

4. Customize your 404 page

Mistake has no master. Even with the best efforts you put to eliminate 404 errors on your blog and website, people may still stumble upon them. So having a custom page designed for 404 errors can make the experience more friendly for people.

• A friendly message acknowledging the error.
• Links to your homepage or other popular content.
• A search bar so users can quickly find what they need.

How to prevent 404 errors in the future

After you have found and fixed 404 errors on your blog, it’s important to avoid them in the future. The tips below may help you:

• Scan your blog regularly: Use Google Search Console everytime to scan your blog and website for 404 errors. You may see our step-by-step guide on top 21 free Google tools every blogger should use.
• Avoid changing URLs: If you must change a URL, always set up a 301 redirect to the new URL.
• Design a custom web page for 404 errors. You can use HTML to design it or hire a web designer to help you with it. You may see our guide on how to make a website using HTML and CSS (step-by-step).

Conclusion

404 errors on a blog or website are a chanllanges for your visitors and SEO, but with finding and fixing them, you can minimize their impact on your blog. Keep people who visit your website and blog 404-error-free.

Hope this article has helped you know how to eliminate 404 errors from your blog. You may also see our guide on how to use the Span tag with CSS.

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