You click a link, wait a few seconds, and boom - instead of the page you wanted, you see "404 Not Found". Sound familiar? It's one of the most common errors on the internet.
For regular users, it's just annoying. For site owners, it's a real problem. A bunch of broken links kills your SEO, scares off visitors, and makes your site look abandoned. Like walking into a store covered in dust and cobwebs.
Let's figure out what this beast is, where it comes from, and most importantly - how to get rid of it.
What is a 404 error in simple terms
404 is an HTTP response code from the server that says: "hey, I looked for this page but couldn't find it". The server's working fine, internet connection is good, but this specific file or page doesn't exist at that address.
The page might have been deleted, moved to another URL, or never existed in the first place. Maybe someone just typo'd the address.
There are tons of message variations:
- "404 Not Found"
- "Page Not Found"
- "The requested URL was not found on this server"
- "File or directory not found"
The meaning's the same - content unavailable.
Different types of 404 errors
Not all 404s are created equal. There are different flavors, and each needs its own approach.
Standard 404 - classic. Page deleted or renamed, link goes nowhere. Most common case.
Soft 404 - tricky one. Page shows a "not found" message, but the server returns code 200 (everything's fine). Problem for users, but Google thinks the page is alive. Confusing.
Custom 404 page - when you purposely make a nice page instead of the default message. Add search, links to homepage, maybe a joke. Users don't get as mad.
Hidden 404 - file or folder exists, but access is blocked by permissions or server settings. Technically the content's there, but for users - nope.
Broken internal link - link on your site leads to a deleted or moved page. Your fault, basically.
Broken external link - someone else's site links to your non-existent page. Like an old address from before your redesign.
Client-side 404 - user screwed up. Typo'd the URL, clicked an old bookmark, has broken browser cache.
Server-side 404 - server configuration problem. Messed up redirects, .htaccess errors, wrong routing.
Understanding the type helps you find the cause faster and fix it right.
Where do 404 errors come from
Typos in URLs
Simplest one - someone typed the address wrong. Extra character, missed letter, wrong keyboard layout. Result - 404.
Deleted page without redirect
Classic. Deleted an old page or article, but didn't set up a redirect to the new address. All old links lead to nowhere.
Especially painful after a redesign or CMS migration. Whole URL structure changes, but you forgot to set up redirects.
Changed site structure
Decided to reorganize sections, changed categories, renamed folders. Good idea, but now all old addresses are broken. And if there are external links to them or they're indexed by Google - guaranteed problems.
Hosting configuration issues
Sometimes the problem's in the server. .htaccess file configured wrong, incorrect file permissions, weird caching behavior. Page seems to be there, but server can't find it.
DNS problems
If DNS is configured incorrectly, users might land on the wrong server. Or a server without the needed files. After moving your site to new hosting, this is common - DNS hasn't updated yet, traffic goes to the old IP.
Each of these causes has its own solution. But first step - actually finding these errors.
What to do when you see a 404
Depends on whose problem it is - yours or the site owner's.
If you're a regular user:
Check the URL. Maybe there's a typo or extra character. Especially at the end - sometimes an extra slash or quote gets copied.
Try refreshing the page. Could be a temporary server glitch.
Search the site. Most sites have search - enter keywords from the URL, maybe you'll find the page under a different address.
Go back to homepage. From there you can try finding the right section through the menu.
Switch browsers or devices. Maybe you have broken cache or some extension blocking access.
If you're the site owner:
Set up redirects. If a page moved - create a 301 redirect from old address to new one.
Find broken links. Use Google Search Console, Ahrefs, or plugins like Broken Link Checker. They'll show where you have dead links.
Make a custom 404 page. Add search, links to popular sections, maybe some humor. At least salvage the situation somehow.
Check server settings. Look at .htaccess, file permissions, DNS records. Maybe problem's not in content but in configuration.
Keep structure clean. With any changes, immediately update internal links and set up redirects.
Why 404 errors are bad
One or two random 404s - not a catastrophe. But if there are many - problems.
Users get pissed and leave
Person clicks a link, expects content, gets an error. Once, twice, three times - they're already on your competitor's site. Bounce rate grows, conversions drop.
Especially critical for commercial sites. Imagine - user found your product in Google, clicked, and there's a 404. They won't search for this product on your site manually, they'll just buy from someone else.
Google stops trusting you
Search bots spend time crawling your site. If they constantly hit 404s, that's wasted crawl budget. The bot could have indexed new normal pages, but instead keeps bumping into broken links.
Tons of 404s signal to Google: site's neglected, nobody's maintaining it. This can lower overall trust level and search rankings.
You're losing traffic and money
If external links (from other sites, social media, forums) pointed to your page, and now it's 404 - all that traffic vanishes. You could have been getting visitors, leads, sales, but now they just see an error.
For online stores, this is direct money loss. Every broken link to a product or category - minus in revenue.
So yeah, better fix it right away.
How to find and fix 404 errors
1. Find all broken links
First, you need to understand where your errors are.
Google Search Console - free and powerful tool. Go to "Coverage" section (or "Page Indexing" in new interface), there'll be a list of all 404s Google found on your site.
SEO tools - Screaming Frog, Ahrefs, Semrush can scan your site and find broken links. Paid, but very detailed.
WordPress plugins - Broken Link Checker automatically scans your site and shows problematic links right in admin panel. Convenient.
Server logs - if you have access to server logs, you can grep for all requests with 404 code. For advanced users.
Manual check - just walk through your site and click links. Especially after deleting pages or changing structure. Tedious, but sometimes you find what automation missed.
2. Set up 301 redirects
301 redirect is when the server tells the browser: "page moved here, remember the new address". This is the best solution for deleted or moved pages.
Don't confuse with 302 (temporary redirect) - it doesn't pass link weight and can hurt SEO.
Via .htaccess (for Apache):
Redirect 301 /old-page.html https://the.hosting/new-pageVia Nginx config:
rewrite ^/old-page.html$ https://the.hosting/new-page permanent;Via WordPress plugin:
Yoast SEO Premium has a built-in redirect manager. Just enter old and new URLs, save.
Via hosting panel:
On good hosting like THE.Hosting there are convenient tools for creating redirects right in the control panel. No need to mess with configs.
3. Disable problematic plugins and themes
Sometimes it's some plugin or WordPress theme causing trouble. They can break URLs or create conflicts.
Try:
- Switch to default theme (Twenty Twenty-Four) and check if 404s disappeared
- Disable all plugins at once through WordPress admin
- If 404s gone - enable plugins one by one to find the culprit
Before experiments, make a backup. On THE.Hosting you can quickly roll back to previous state if something goes wrong.
4. Restore or recreate the page
If the page was important and has lots of links pointing to it, maybe it's easier to restore it?
Check backups - maybe the page is there. If no backups (bad!), recreate the content from scratch. Preferably under the same URL as before, so all old links work automatically.
5. Update internal links
Walked through your site, found broken internal links - fix them. In WordPress this is done through page and post editor. Find old URL, replace with new one.
Also check menu, widgets, footer - there might be broken links there too.
6. Check .htaccess file
The .htaccess file (on Apache) controls a bunch of things, including redirects, pretty URLs, file access. If it's messed up - 404s can appear.
Simple way to check - temporarily rename .htaccess to .htaccess.bak and see if errors disappear. If yes - problem's in it.
In WordPress you can recreate .htaccess automatically: go to "Settings → Permalinks" and just click "Save". System will regenerate the file from scratch.
7. Check file permissions
If file exists but server returns 404 - might be a permissions problem.
On Linux hosting, files should have 644 permissions, folders - 755. If a file has 600 or 000 - browsers can't read it, even though technically it exists.
You can check and change permissions through FTP client (FileZilla) or hosting control panel. On THE.Hosting this is done in a couple clicks through file manager.
8. Check DNS settings
If you recently changed hosting or domain, DNS might not have updated yet. Usually takes 24-48 hours.
Check if A-records and nameservers are correctly set in your domain settings. Use online tools like whatsmydns.net to see how DNS is propagating worldwide.
If confused - contact hosting support, they'll help figure it out.
How to make an awesome 404 page
Even if you fix all errors, users will still occasionally hit 404s. They'll typo the URL, click an old bookmark, follow a broken external link.
Instead of a dull default message, make a useful page.
Add search
Person was looking for something specific. Give them ability to search your site right from the 404 page. Maybe they'll still find what they need.
Links to popular sections
"You might be interested in" - homepage, product catalog, blog, contacts. Give user options where to go next.
Friendly message
Don't do formal "The requested URL was not found on this server". Write like a human: "Oops, this page doesn't exist. Maybe it moved or you mistyped the address. But don't worry, here's what we can offer..."
You can add humor. Spotify, for example, writes "This page is out of tune" on their 404. Depends on your brand tone.
Links to fresh content
Show latest blog posts, new products, popular items. Get user interested so they don't leave.
Good 404 page turns negative experience into normal one. User's disappointed they didn't find what they needed, but if you give them alternatives - they might stay.
How THE.Hosting helps avoid 404s
Right hosting makes fighting 404 errors easier.
Stable infrastructure
On quality hosting, files don't disappear on their own, server doesn't glitch, access permissions don't reset. THE.Hosting uses NVMe SSD drives and regular backups, so your content is safe.
If choosing a plan - for regular site or blog, Aluminium-[NL] at €5.77/month with 1GB RAM and 25GB NVMe works. For more serious projects like online stores, get Palladium-[NL] at €15.77/month with 8GB RAM and 90GB NVMe - there you can run WooCommerce without lag.
Convenient redirect tools
In THE.Hosting control panel you can set up 301 redirects through web interface. No need to SSH in and edit .htaccess manually. Enter old URL, enter new one, save - done.
Support for plugins like Yoast SEO or Redirection for WordPress works without issues too.
24/7 support
If confused about settings, can't figure out where 404s are coming from, or something broke - write to support. They respond quickly and helpfully, will help you sort it out.
Unlike cheap shared hosting where you're on your own, on THE.Hosting VPS you have full server control, but there's still someone to help if needed.
Bottom line
404 errors are a normal part of any website's life. But if there are many or they don't get fixed - that's a problem for SEO and users.
Main steps:
- Regularly scan your site for broken links (Google Search Console, plugins, SEO tools)
- Set up 301 redirects for deleted or moved pages
- Watch URL structure, don't change it without need
- Make a useful custom 404 page with search and links
- Keep .htaccess, file permissions and DNS in order
- Choose decent hosting where you don't have to fight technical glitches
THE.Hosting provides stable platform, convenient redirect management tools, and fast support when you need help. From simple VPS at €5.77/month to powerful dedicated servers for a couple hundred euros - choose for your needs and sleep peacefully knowing your site works right.