What is 404 Error - A Detailed View

404 error is an important process well-known by the SEO expert and often experienced by the users while surfing the web. When the website is under construction or some errors occurs in the requested page, Google give us a way to indicate the visitors. Most commonly, 50 to 60% of audiences are aware of this aware and start to visit any other websites. To make you know in detail, we have explained this article clearly.

RiyaFebruary 14, 2023 & 18:00 [IST]

Things to know About 404 Error

404 error is one of the standardised HTTP status code that tells the web users when the requested page is unavailable. Here, the HTTP stands for hypertext transfer protocol, which response in code.

When the message is given from the web server of the online presence, the browser will send the HTTP requests. After this, the browser will display the error code. The typical trigger for an error 404 message occurs when the website content has been removed or moved to another URL.

"Sometimes, the URL was written incorrectly, linked incorrectly, or typed into the browser directly"

Moreover, the server, which is responsible for the website is not running, which is also the reason behind this. Here, you are about to explore some detailed information regarding the 404 error below.

What is a 404 Error?

404 is simply a status code that ensures the web users that the requested page is not availing. In addition, 404 and other response status codes remains a part of the HTTP responses code. Still, there are variations among the ‘404 error, 404 page not found, and the requested URL was not found significantly.

Meanwhile, this 404 error code occurs only if the webpage they access doesn’t exist, is moving, and is dead or broken. 404 is one of the most frequent error codes that web users encounter.


How Will 404 Errors Come About?

There are various reasons available behind the 404 errors that occur on the webpage. From the list, you are given certain things below

  • When the URL of the content is moved or deleted significantly
  • Maybe the URL was written incorrectly. Linked correctly or typed to the browser directly
  • Server sometimes responsible for the website is not running or the connection may be broken.
  • Also, the request for a domain name may not be converted into an IP by the DNS.
  • There are possibilities as they enter a domain name that does not even exists.

Many websites will view in the search engine result pages though they are not availing in online anymore. Also, other linked websites such as blogs, portals, and many more are not informed the site is removed or the URL is not found. Other website operators will never check the external links regularly and the functioning link may become a dead one.


How To Fix - Error 404 Not Found

404 error is crucial as at the end of the day, the users may not find the site they are looking for. However, the appearance of the 404 page does not meant that the desired data is not available at all. In some cases, the solutions for the original error are easily found, and the visitor is directed to the relevant web pages. Ensure the potential solutions to fix this error and to get a user-friendly site.

Reload the Page: 404 errors will appear for some simple reason the page is not loaded properly. You can rectify this easily by clicking on the refresh or the F5 button respectively.

Check the URL: In case entering the URL manually or being directed through the links may have some mistakes. In that instance, you should check over the specific part of the websites. Apart from the spelling mistakes, sometimes the forward slashes may be typed wrong or misplaced. Only by checking the URL clearly like abbreviations, punctuations, letters, and others, it becomes easy to access.

Go Back Through Directory Levels: In the case of checking whether the desired page is linked or not, you should clear the last directory in your URL. On the previous page, the link for the page you look for is surely availing. If that is not found on that page, you should scroll back to the previous pages. This is one of the successful methods that make you back up on the home page, and makes you move to the next.

Use Websites Search Function: Most websites offer the search function as one of their home pages. Entering one or two keywords in it makes you find the page you are looking for.

Delete Cache and Cookies: If you are accessing the same website from another system and the 404 error occurs means that is due to your browser. Therefore, delete the cache and cookies in your browser that allows you to access the pages.

Use Search Engine: It is possible to use a website of your own just by finding the website. As long as the desired website exists, it becomes easy to find by entering the website domain and keyword where the subject matters.

Contact the Website: If the above-mention remedies have not worked, then you can directly contact the respondent of the site. Usually, the contact information was found on the page, which makes you find it easily. The operators of the website must be able to render the information for the pages that already exist. By introducing the domain redirect, it automatically directs the users from the old one to the latest pages.


404 Error Damages Websites Ranking and Reputation

Search engines like Google and Bing have a negative impression of sites that hold 404 errors often. Once the crawlers start for many requests then, they decide these sites are not well maintained. Dead links will affect the site's ranking and even reduce its reputation. They even reduce the considerable number of visitors to the website directly. Sometimes, it even makes the visitors lose their trust in the site and makes them shift to another.


Identifying 404 Errors in the Site

Every firm needs to reduce the 404 errors on its website. Moreover, preventing this applies to external and internal uses of the page. Some of the things that help you identify these errors are given below

  • Google search console
  • Dead link checker
  • W3C link checker

Wrapping Up!

Finally, examine all the things that happens besides the 404 error code. It brings you an awareness that how this will affect the impact of your site. Make use of this article to gain some better knowledge about things and to rectify it. So, identify the reason behind this error in your site and get rid of it soon.


404 error is one of the standardised HTTP status code that tells the web users when the requested page is unavailable. Here, the HTTP stands for hypertext transfer protocol, which response in code.

When the message is given from the web server of the online presence, the browser will send the HTTP requests. After this, the browser will display the error code. The typical trigger for an error 404 message occurs when the website content has been removed or moved to another URL.

"Sometimes, the URL was written incorrectly, linked incorrectly, or typed into the browser directly"

Moreover, the server, which is responsible for the website is not running, which is also the reason behind this. Here, you are about to explore some detailed information regarding the 404 error below.

What is a 404 Error?

404 is simply a status code that ensures the web users that the requested page is not availing. In addition, 404 and other response status codes remains a part of the HTTP responses code. Still, there are variations among the ‘404 error, 404 page not found, and the requested URL was not found significantly.

Meanwhile, this 404 error code occurs only if the webpage they access doesn’t exist, is moving, and is dead or broken. 404 is one of the most frequent error codes that web users encounter.

How Will 404 Errors Come About?

There are various reasons available behind the 404 errors that occur on the webpage. From the list, you are given certain things below

  • When the URL of the content is moved or deleted significantly
  • Maybe the URL was written incorrectly. Linked correctly or typed to the browser directly
  • Server sometimes responsible for the website is not running or the connection may be broken.
  • Also, the request for a domain name may not be converted into an IP by the DNS.
  • There are possibilities as they enter a domain name that does not even exists.

Many websites will view in the search engine result pages though they are not availing in online anymore. Also, other linked websites such as blogs, portals, and many more are not informed the site is removed or the URL is not found. Other website operators will never check the external links regularly and the functioning link may become a dead one.

How To Fix - Error 404 Not Found

404 error is crucial as at the end of the day, the users may not find the site they are looking for. However, the appearance of the 404 page does not meant that the desired data is not available at all. In some cases, the solutions for the original error are easily found, and the visitor is directed to the relevant web pages. Ensure the potential solutions to fix this error and to get a user-friendly site.

Reload the Page: 404 errors will appear for some simple reason the page is not loaded properly. You can rectify this easily by clicking on the refresh or the F5 button respectively.

Check the URL: In case entering the URL manually or being directed through the links may have some mistakes. In that instance, you should check over the specific part of the websites. Apart from the spelling mistakes, sometimes the forward slashes may be typed wrong or misplaced. Only by checking the URL clearly like abbreviations, punctuations, letters, and others, it becomes easy to access.

Go Back Through Directory Levels: In the case of checking whether the desired page is linked or not, you should clear the last directory in your URL. On the previous page, the link for the page you look for is surely availing. If that is not found on that page, you should scroll back to the previous pages. This is one of the successful methods that make you back up on the home page, and makes you move to the next.

Use Websites Search Function: Most websites offer the search function as one of their home pages. Entering one or two keywords in it makes you find the page you are looking for.

Delete Cache and Cookies: If you are accessing the same website from another system and the 404 error occurs means that is due to your browser. Therefore, delete the cache and cookies in your browser that allows you to access the pages.

Use Search Engine: It is possible to use a website of your own just by finding the website. As long as the desired website exists, it becomes easy to find by entering the website domain and keyword where the subject matters.

Contact the Website: If the above-mention remedies have not worked, then you can directly contact the respondent of the site. Usually, the contact information was found on the page, which makes you find it easily. The operators of the website must be able to render the information for the pages that already exist. By introducing the domain redirect, it automatically directs the users from the old one to the latest pages.

404 Error Damages Websites Ranking and Reputation

Search engines like Google and Bing have a negative impression of sites that hold 404 errors often. Once the crawlers start for many requests then, they decide these sites are not well maintained. Dead links will affect the site's ranking and even reduce its reputation. They even reduce the considerable number of visitors to the website directly. Sometimes, it even makes the visitors lose their trust in the site and makes them shift to another.

Identifying 404 Errors in the Site

Every firm needs to reduce the 404 errors on its website. Moreover, preventing this applies to external and internal uses of the page. Some of the things that help you identify these errors are given below

  • Google search console
  • Dead link checker
  • W3C link checker

Wrapping Up!

Finally, examine all the things that happens besides the 404 error code. It brings you an awareness that how this will affect the impact of your site. Make use of this article to gain some better knowledge about things and to rectify it. So, identify the reason behind this error in your site and get rid of it soon.

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