What Causes Soft 404 Pages in Google Search Console (GSC)?
Soft 404 pages in Google Search Console occur when a page returns a '200 OK' status code but contains no useful or relevant content—often misleading Google into thinking the page should not be indexed.
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Key Takaways
Frequently Asked Questions
What does 'Soft 404' mean in Google Search Console?
Yes. Google may waste crawl budget on non-useful pages and ignore more important ones, hurting overall site performance.
Can soft 404s affect my SEO rankings?
Yes. Google may waste crawl budget on non-useful pages and ignore more important ones, hurting overall site performance.
How do I identify soft 404 pages?
Use GSC under Index > Pages > Soft 404. Then check each URL for empty content or incorrect HTTP status.
Should I delete soft 404 pages?
Only if the content is truly irrelevant or doesn’t exist anymore. Otherwise, improve them or redirect appropriately.
How long does Google take to reflect soft 404 fixes?
Usually within a few days to a couple of weeks after re-crawling. Use GSC's URL Inspection tool to speed things up.
Step by Step Plan
Inspect the Affected URLs in GSC
Go to GSC > Indexing > Pages. Click 'Soft 404' and review the listed URLs to identify patterns or common errors.
Assess the Page Content
Manually visit each page and check if it offers valuable, unique content or if it appears empty or irrelevant.
Check HTTP Status Codes
Use tools like Screaming Frog or Chrome DevTools to confirm whether the page is returning a 200 status code in error.
Check HTTP Status Codes
Add relevant content, or set up a 301 redirect to a related, useful page. Otherwise, return a 404 or 410 status for deleted content.
Request Indexing for Resolved URLs
Once fixed, use the URL Inspection tool in GSC to validate the fix and expedite re-indexing by Google.
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