Soft 404 Errors: How to Find and Fix Them (Without Hurting SEO)

• The page returns 200 but shows “not found,” “product unavailable,” or an error-like message.
• The page is effectively thin content (near-empty, placeholder, or templated with no unique value).
• An internal search or category page returns a generic no results page that looks like a dead end.
• Missing URLs are redirected (often via 301 redirect or 302) to the homepage or an unrelated page, which can look like a “fake” resolution.

The key idea: Google evaluates both status codes and page content/signals to decide whether a URL is actually useful.

Why Are Soft 404 Errors Problematic?

Soft 404s waste crawl budget and muddy indexing signals. Industry experience and recent studies indicate they can contribute to:

• Index bloat (low-value URLs competing with your real pages)
• Slower discovery of important content (Google spends time re-checking junk URLs)
• Poor user experience (users land on empty pages, dead-end templates, or irrelevant redirects)
• Weaker internal linking signals if many links point to URLs Google devalues

In short, soft 404s often sit at the intersection of technical SEO and content quality—fixing them improves both.

How to Identify Soft 404 Errors

Use a consistent workflow so you’re not guessing whether the problem is the server response, the template, or the content.

1. Find flagged URLs in Google Search Console

• Open Google Search Console Indexing > Pages.
• Look for entries such as Soft 404 and also review Not found (404) for patterns.
• Open the report, export affected URLs, and note whether they’re isolated or tied to a template (search pages, faceted navigation, discontinued products, etc.).

1. Validate with a crawl (status codes + templates)

• Run a Screaming Frog audit (or similar crawler) on the exported URL list and/or your site.
• Confirm what each URL returns: 200, 301, 302, 404, 410.
• Spot template-driven issues: identical titles/H1s, “no results” messaging, empty product pages, or near-duplicate thin pages.

1. Reproduce the issue like a user and like Google

• Load a few examples in a browser to see what users experience.
• Use URL Inspection in GSC to check what Google saw and whether it chose to index the page.

1. Group by root cause

• “Missing page returning 200”
• “No results page indexed”
• “Thin content / placeholder page”
• “Redirect to irrelevant destination”

Grouping prevents one-off fixes and helps you correct the underlying system.

Steps to Fix Soft 404 Errors

1. Return the correct status code (200 vs 404 vs 410)

• Use 404 when the content is missing and may return (temporary removal, uncertain future).
• Use 410 when the content is permanently gone and you want faster deindexing—this is the core of the 404 vs 410 decision.
• Only return 200 when the page genuinely provides value and should be indexable.

1. Fix thin content that should exist

If the URL is valid (e.g., a product, service, or location page), improve it so it’s not mistaken for a soft 404:

• Add unique copy, FAQs, specs, images, internal links, and clear navigation.
• Avoid “shell” pages that exist only to capture keywords.

1. Use redirects carefully (and sparingly)

A 301 redirect is appropriate only when there’s a close, relevant replacement (same intent, same topic, best available equivalent). Avoid:

• Redirecting all missing URLs to the homepage
• Redirecting discontinued products to unrelated categories
• Redirect chains (A→B→C)

These patterns commonly trigger soft-404-like signals because users (and Google) don’t get what the URL promised. When there’s no true equivalent, serve 404/410 instead.

1. Clean up your sitemap and internal links

Your XML sitemap should list only canonical, indexable URLs that return 200 and provide value. Remove soft-404 candidates and dead URLs, and fix internal links pointing to them. If you need a refresher on sitemap best practices, understanding XML sitemap hygiene basics helps prevent recurring indexation noise.

1. Monitor and re-test

• Re-crawl after changes to confirm status codes and templates.
• In GSC, re-check Indexing > Pages over the following weeks to confirm the soft 404 error trend declines and that important pages remain indexable.

Conclusion

Soft 404 errors are rarely “just a technical glitch”—they’re usually a mismatch between what a URL promises, what the server returns, and what the page delivers. By combining Google Search Console Indexing > Pages insights with a Screaming Frog audit, then applying the right mix of 404/410 decisions, content improvements, and selective 301 redirects, you can reduce index waste and protect organic performance.