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404 error confusion

by puddingsp
2 replies
I'm confused about 404 error messages and webmaster tools advice?

I have an a .htaccess file which states:

ErrorDocument 404 http://www.XXXXXXX.com/index.html

and these soft 404 redirects have been working fine.

In webmaster tools I have just received the error:

"Increase in soft 404 errors - Google detected a significant increase in URLs we think should return a 404 (Page Not Found) error "

So google wants me to return a 404 on my deleted pages but for my visitors I want a redirect to the home page (in-case of mis-typing).

Later google advice a little vague:
"But it's important to remember that it's not enough to just create a page that displays a 404 message. You also need to return the correct 404 or 410 HTTP response code." https://support.google.com/webmaster.../2409443?hl=en

I don't want to use 301 because there are too many low value pages.

So how do you return a 404 code to google's robot but direct visitors to a custom 404 error page? I cann't seem to find an answer anywhere.
Thanks
#.htaccess #404 #confusion #error #page not found
  • Profile picture of the author RobinInTexas
    Originally Posted by puddingsp View Post


    I don't want to use 301 because there are too many low value pages.

    So how do you return a 404 code to google's robot but direct visitors to a custom 404 error page? I cann't seem to find an answer anywhere.
    Thanks
    You don't want to do anything different for Google unless you like playing in a sandbox.

    Use the 301 and don't worry if it was low value. The 301 is the best way to get it out of G's index
    Signature

    Robin



    ...Even if you're on the right track, you'll get run over if you just set there.
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  • Profile picture of the author geekyfox
    I'm using URL rewriting in this case to display a custom error page while returning 404 in the HTTP response. That custom page would typically contain a human readable sitemap.

    How this is achieved technically depends on your hosting environment, the article below explains how URL rewriting is added in PHP:
    URL rewriting with PHP - Stack Overflow
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