What is a 404 error?

What is a 404 error?

The visitor sees a "page not found" message. The error appears after deleted pages, changed addresses, mistyped links or outdated links on other websites.

A page that shows "not found" but answers with status 200 is a soft 404 and is harder to detect.

Why 404 error matters

• Visitors who hit a 404 often leave.
• Links to missing pages lose their value unless you redirect them.
• A list of missing pages tells you what to repair first.

Practical tips

• Redirect moved pages with a 301.
• Make the 404 page helpful with search and popular links.
• Check for 404 errors after every relaunch.

404 error in Noralytic

With one option in the tracking code Noralytic records an event "404" followed by the path whenever a visitor reaches a page with status 404, so you see the missing pages ranked by how often they were reached.