What Is a Soft 404 Error? How to Fix It

In SEO work, many websites look normal yet Google still reports a soft 404 error, which confuses plenty of administrators. In practice, a soft 404 is reported when a page offers no clear content value even though it does not return a proper 404 code, and that directly hurts indexing and rankings. The article below from MONA Media will help you understand the real nature of the problem and how to handle it, so you avoid losing traffic for no reason.

What is a soft 404 error?

A soft 404 is when a URL still returns status code 200 (OK), meaning the server says the page works normally, but the content shows that the page does not really exist or no longer has value. In this case Google treats it as a soft 404 error, because the content does not qualify to be indexed as a valid page.

In other words, a soft 404 happens when a website shows a message like "Page does not exist" or very thin content to users, but the system does not return a proper 404 code. Search engines then get mixed signals: the page says error, while the response code says success.

How do soft 404 errors affect crawl budget?

Soft 404 errors can make Googlebot spend time crawling pages that no longer have real value. When a URL returns code 200 but the content is empty, duplicated, or just a "not found" message, Google still has to crawl it to check, and only then labels it a soft 404 error. This process burns crawl budget unnecessarily.

Over time, soft 404 errors make the bot spend resources on useless pages instead of key pages such as the SEO-standard articles home page, category pages, or landing pages that need to be indexed quickly. This can slow down how fast new content shows up on Google and directly hurt full-scope SEO.

In short, the more soft 404s you have, the more crawl budget is wasted. Auditing and fixing them thoroughly lets Googlebot crawl what matters, which improves indexing and website performance.

Do soft 404 errors affect website SEO?

Soft 404 errors are not just a technical issue shown in Search Console. They also directly affect the SEO strategy overall results. When a large number of soft 404 errors exist, search engines may see the website as low quality. Here are the clearest effects soft 404s can have.

The effects of soft 404 errors include:

• Poor user experience: Visitors land on the page without useful content or see a misleading message, so they tend to leave right away.
• Impact on indexing: Google may limit indexing of important pages if the site has many soft 404 errors, which slows down how quickly new content appears in search results.
• Lower trust and rankings: A website with many soft 404 errors is easily seen as poorly optimized, which hurts overall quality and its ability to compete on SERP.
• Wasted crawl budget: Googlebot spends resources checking pages with no value, while the pages that should be prioritized are not fully crawled.

The difference between a regular 404 error and a soft 404 error

Not all 404 errors are the same. In SEO, it is important to tell a proper 404 from a soft 404 error because they send completely different signals to search engines. If handled wrong, a website can suffer in indexing and overall performance.

The difference between a regular 404 error and a soft 404 error:

• Soft 404 error: This is when a page displays content like a missing page (or very thin content), but the server returns code 200 (OK). Google then believes the page is still valid, and a soft 404 error appears because the content does not meet quality standards.
• Regular 404 error: This happens when the server correctly returns code 404 (Not Found). It is a clear signal to search engines that the page does not exist and should not be crawled or indexed.

Here is a comparison table of regular 404 errors and soft 404 errors:

How to spot soft 404 errors quickly

To detect soft 404 errors, you need both search engine data and technical checks on the website. Because soft 404 errors are not always obvious to the eye, the right tools will save you a lot of time. To identify soft 404 errors, you can do the following: 

• Check with Google Search Console: This is the most common and accurate way. Under "Indexing", Google lists the URLs flagged as soft 404 errors. The list shows pages Google considers not valuable enough to index even though they still return code 200. From there you can review and fix each URL.
• Use a website crawler: Besides Search Console, you can use crawling tools such as Screaming Frog or other SEO audit tools. These tools let you check the HTTP status code of every URL. If a page has empty content or a "does not exist" message but returns code 200 instead of 404, it is very likely a soft 404 error.

Combining both methods helps you find all soft 404 errors, choose the right fix, and limit the negative impact on SEO.

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How to fix soft 404 errors effectively

When you find a soft 404 error, identify the cause first so you can choose the right fix. Not every soft 404 is handled the same way: some pages should be removed entirely, while others should be kept and improved. Here are effective ways to fix soft 404 errors:

• Return the correct response code (404 or 410): If the page truly no longer exists and has no replacement, configure the server to return 404 (Not Found) or 410 (Gone) instead of 200. This tells Google the page has been removed so it stops crawling that URL, which prevents soft 404 errors.
• Set up a 301 redirect when needed: If the content has been replaced by a new page or there is an equivalent article, use a 301 redirect to the right URL. This matters most when the old page has backlinks or traffic, because it fixes the soft 404 and keeps the SEO value the page has built up.
• Upgrade and add content: If the URL is a valid page but is judged thin or low quality, improve the content instead of deleting it. Adding in-depth information, improving the structure, and adding value for readers can make Google reconsider the page and clear the soft 404 warning.

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FAQ: what is a soft 404 error?

1. Do soft 404 errors affect Core Web Vitals?

Soft 404 errors do not directly affect Core Web Vitals metrics such as LCP, CLS, or INP. However, when a website has many error pages, Googlebot has to crawl many low-quality URLs and users land on unhelpful pages, which can indirectly lower overall performance and site experience.

2. What causes soft 404 errors?

There are many causes. The most common is a page that was deleted or had its URL changed without a proper redirect. Pages with very thin or nearly empty content, or a setup that returns the wrong status code (200 instead of 404), also get flagged as soft 404s.

3. Will Google penalize me for soft 404 errors?

Google does not directly penalize soft 404 errors. However, if the problem lasts and affects many pages, the website may lose visibility in search results because of wasted crawl budget and a worse user experience.

A soft 404 error is not just a message in Google Search Console. It is a warning sign of content quality problems or a response setup that is not right. When you fix soft 404 errors properly, your website gets better crawling and indexing, and keeps a stable SEO foundation over the long term. Review and optimize early so that every page on your website is truly valuable to both users and search engines.