Free tool
Does your error page tell the truth?
When a page does not exist, the server should say so with a 404 code, and show visitors a way out. We try two made-up addresses on your site and check both.
Why the code matters
Visitors never see the code, but everything else does. A “404” tells Google to stop crawling the address, tells link checkers the link is broken, and tells your statistics that someone got lost. A page that says “Not found” in large letters but answers “200 OK” lies to all of them: that is a soft 404.
404
Not found
The normal answer to an unknown address. The page may have existed or not.
410
Gone
The page existed and was removed for good. Google forgets it a little faster.
301
Moved
For a page that changed address: redirect it to its new home, not to the home page.
A useful error page
- Say what happened“This page does not exist or has moved”, in the site's language, without jargon.
- Offer a way outA link to the home page, the most visited pages, and a search field.
- Keep the site around itHeader, menu and footer: visitors must feel they are still on your site.
To follow up, Google Search Console lists the 404s it finds (Pages › Not found) and the soft 404s: a good way to spot old links worth redirecting.
Frequently asked questions
Does my 404 error page work properly?
The tool requests two made-up addresses on your site and checks that the server answers 404 or 410. It then examines the error page: title, link to the home page, search, language and weight. Nothing is kept.
What is a “soft 404”?
It is a page that shows “Not found” but answers “200 OK”, or that redirects to the home page. It misleads Google, link checkers and your analytics, which think the page exists.
What is the difference between 404, 410 and 301?
A 404 is the normal answer to an unknown address. A 410 says the page existed and was removed for good. A 301 is for moved pages: redirect them to their new address, not to the home page.
