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How to fix 404 errors to improve SEO?

#1. Understand the 404 error and its impact

404 error, that is, the page not found error, is a situation that occurs when a user tries to visit a webpage that does not exist. For the SEO of a website, it has a non-negligible impact. When search engine crawlers frequently encounter 404 error pages, they will reduce their evaluation of the overall quality of the website, thinking that the website may have problems such as chaotic structure and missing content, which in turn affects the ranking of the website. At the same time, for the user experience, 404 errors will make users confused and dissatisfied, which may cause users to leave the website directly and increase the bounce rate of the website.

#2. Identify the cause of the 404 error

- Link changes not updated

The website may change the links of some pages during the development process, but if all links to the page are not timely updated, a 404 error will occur. For example, after the product page is reclassified, the old category link does not redirect to the new page.

The page was deleted

Sometimes websites delete outdated or non-compliant pages, but fail to do the follow-up work, causing the original links to these deleted pages to become 404 error links.

- Incorrect input

Users may enter the wrong URL or click on the wrong link to get to a 404 error page, but this is relatively small.

#3. Effective ways to fix 404 errors

- 301 redirect

When a page is permanently moved or deleted, using a 301 redirect is the best solution. It can pass the weight of the old page to the new page, while letting search engines know that the page has a new place, and can ensure that users can automatically jump to the new correct page when visiting the old link. For example, redirect the old product details page to the new product page. When setting up a 301 redirect, ensure the accuracy of the code and avoid errors such as redirect loops.

Create a custom 404 page

A good custom 404 page can not only improve the user experience, but also help SEO. On the custom 404 page, you can provide some useful information, such as the navigation bar of the website, popular content recommendations, search boxes, etc., to guide users to continue browsing within the website and reduce the bounce rate. At the same time, you can add some relevant keywords and in-app links to the page to help search engines better understand the website structure.

- Check internal links

Regularly check the internal links of the website to find and correct those links pointing to 404 error pages in time. This can be done through some professional link checking tools, such as Xenu, etc. For found error links, you can redirect or modify the link direction according to the actual situation.

#4. Continuous monitoring after 404 bug fixes

Even if the 404 error repair work is completed, it cannot be relaxed. It is necessary to continuously monitor the website, because the website may still generate new 404 errors during subsequent updates, maintenance, etc. You can use tools such as Google Search Console to monitor the 404 error situation of the website, and deal with new errors in a timely manner once found.

Through the above methods of 404 error repair and continuous monitoring, can effectively improve the SEO effect of the website, but also improve the user experience, so that the website in the search engine and user hearts can maintain a good image.

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