404 pages and server errors (such as 500 series errors) are some of the most common technical SEO issues that can significantly impact a website’s performance in search results. While it’s natural for some 404 errors to occur as pages are removed or URLs change, excessive 404 errors and unresolved server issues can harm your SEO, disrupt user experience, and signal to search engines that your site may be unreliable.
Why 404 Pages and Server Errors Matter for SEO
- Negative Impact on Crawl Efficiency Search engines like Google use crawlers to navigate your site and index its content. When crawlers encounter too many 404 pages (not found) or 500-series server errors, it disrupts the crawl process, potentially wasting crawl budget on broken links instead of crawling important pages. This inefficiency can prevent your site’s valuable content from being properly indexed and ranked.
- Loss of Link Equity If a page that was previously valuable and had accumulated backlinks returns a 404 error, you lose the “link equity” (also known as link juice) that those backlinks were passing to your site. Broken pages with backlinks pointing to them no longer contribute to your overall SEO value, and search engines may not transfer this authority to other pages unless properly redirected.
- User Experience and Bounce Rates Encountering 404 errors or server problems can frustrate users and cause them to leave your site. High bounce rates (when users leave after viewing only one page) and poor user experience signals can indirectly impact your SEO performance, as Google considers user engagement metrics when ranking websites.
- Impact on Rankings If search engines consistently encounter server errors or 404 pages, they may view your site as unreliable or poorly maintained, which can affect your rankings over time. Google aims to provide users with high-quality results, and if your site’s technical issues are severe or widespread, it can lead to lower rankings.
Common Types of Errors and Their Causes
- 404 Errors (Page Not Found) A 404 error occurs when a user or search engine tries to access a URL that no longer exists or was never created. Common causes of 404 errors include:
- Deleting a page without proper redirects.
- Changing a URL structure without setting up redirections.
- Typo errors in links (either internal or external).
- Removing product pages or blog posts.
- 500 Internal Server Errors A 500 error occurs when the server cannot process a request due to a problem on the server side. These errors can occur for several reasons, including:
- Server misconfigurations or overload.
- Faulty plugins or themes in CMS platforms like WordPress.
- Database connection failures.
- Issues with file permissions or server software.
- 502 Bad Gateway A 502 error indicates that one server in the chain is not receiving a valid response from another server. This often happens when there’s a timeout issue between upstream and downstream servers.
- 503 Service Unavailable A 503 error means the server is temporarily unable to handle the request, usually due to overload or maintenance. While temporary, repeated 503 errors can harm SEO if crawlers or users encounter them frequently.
- 504 Gateway Timeout A 504 error occurs when one server takes too long to respond to a request from another server. This is often caused by server overloads or network delays.
SEO Impact of 404 Pages and Server Errors
404 Errors:
- Hurt User Experience: Users encountering 404 pages are likely to abandon your site, increasing bounce rates, which indirectly affects SEO performance.
- Broken Backlinks: If a previously valuable page now returns a 404 error and has backlinks pointing to it, you lose the SEO value of those links unless you set up proper 301 redirects.
- Crawl Budget Wastage: Crawlers waste time on broken pages, reducing the efficiency of crawling important pages.
500 Series Errors:
- Search Engine Crawling Issues: Search engines may face crawling and indexing issues if they repeatedly encounter server errors, which could result in important content being missed or not indexed.
- Decreased Site Reliability: Frequent server issues can signal to search engines that your site is unreliable, potentially harming your rankings.
How to Fix 404 Pages and Server Errors
1. Monitor and Identify 404 Errors and Server Issues
Regularly monitor your site for broken links and server errors using tools such as:
- Google Search Console: The Coverage Report in Google Search Console will show you any 404 errors, server issues, or other problems that Google encounters while crawling your site.
- Screaming Frog: This SEO crawler tool can scan your entire site to identify 404 errors and broken internal/external links.
- Ahrefs or SEMrush: These tools also provide reports on broken backlinks, allowing you to fix or redirect valuable links that point to non-existent pages.
2. Fix or Redirect 404 Pages
If a page no longer exists but has SEO value (e.g., backlinks or traffic), you should set up a 301 redirect to a relevant page. A 301 redirect informs both users and search engines that the page has been permanently moved, passing the SEO value (link equity) to the new page.
Example: If https://example.com/old-page
no longer exists, set up a 301 redirect to a similar or updated page like https://example.com/new-page
.
If the page has no relevance or value, you can serve a custom 404 page that guides users back to the main site. Make sure your custom 404 page includes helpful navigation (e.g., links to the homepage, popular products, or a search bar) to keep users engaged.
3. Resolve Server-Side Errors (500 Series)
Server errors are typically more technical and may require assistance from your web hosting provider or a developer. Here are some common fixes:
- 500 Internal Server Error: Check your server’s error logs to identify the cause of the issue. Common solutions include:
- Rebooting the server.
- Checking for corrupted
.htaccess
files. - Increasing server memory limits or addressing faulty plugins or themes.
- 502 Bad Gateway and 504 Timeout Errors: These errors often indicate communication problems between servers. You can work with your hosting provider to resolve upstream or network issues and optimize server performance.
- 503 Service Unavailable: If your site is down for maintenance or overloaded, consider upgrading your hosting plan to handle higher traffic loads. Also, ensure your site properly communicates maintenance windows to both users and search engines by setting up a temporary “503 Service Unavailable” status with retry-after headers.
4. Set Up Temporary 503 Status During Maintenance
If you’re performing maintenance on your website, it’s best to serve a 503 status code with a “Retry-After” header to notify search engines that your site is temporarily unavailable. This prevents Google from de-indexing your pages while they’re down and encourages it to return once the maintenance is complete.
Example:
HTTP/1.1 503 Service Unavailable
Retry-After: 3600
This informs search engines that the site is temporarily unavailable and to come back after an hour.
5. Create Custom 404 Pages for Better UX
Instead of serving users a generic “Page Not Found” message, create a custom 404 page that enhances user experience. Include helpful navigation, search functionality, and links to popular or recent content. A well-designed 404 page can help users find what they need and reduce bounce rates.
Example:
<h1>Oops! Page Not Found</h1>
<p>The page you're looking for doesn't exist. Try our <a href="/">homepage</a> or <a href="/blog">check out our blog</a>.</p>
6. Set Up a Monitoring System
To stay ahead of potential issues, implement an ongoing monitoring system for server errors and 404 pages. Using server-side monitoring tools (such as Pingdom, UptimeRobot, or New Relic) can help you spot issues early, ensuring that server problems are resolved quickly before affecting SEO or user experience.
Best Practices to Avoid Future 404 and Server Errors
- Implement Proper 301 Redirects: Any time you delete or move a page, set up 301 redirects to relevant pages to preserve SEO value.
- Monitor Backlinks: Regularly check for backlinks pointing to outdated or broken pages and ensure those pages are properly redirected to active URLs.
- Ensure Server Reliability: If your site frequently experiences server errors, consider upgrading to more reliable hosting or optimizing your server configuration to handle traffic spikes.
- Regular Audits: Perform regular SEO audits to catch and fix issues before they escalate. Tools like Screaming Frog or SEMrush can help identify technical problems such as 404 errors and server issues.
Conclusion
404 pages and server errors are not only frustrating for users but also harmful to your site’s SEO performance. Regularly monitoring for broken links, setting up proper redirects, resolving server-side issues, and ensuring that search engines can crawl your content efficiently are essential steps to maintaining a healthy, well-ranked website. Addressing these issues early will improve user experience, enhance crawl efficiency, and preserve the SEO value of your site.