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Migration & Relaunch

404 Error Page

A 404 error page appears when a requested URL cannot be found and should offer orientation and useful next steps.

A 404 error page appears when a requested URL cannot be found and should offer orientation and useful next steps. A complete inventory, clear mappings, testing, and post-launch monitoring reduce content, SEO, and operational risk. The concept is closely related to Redirect and URL Structure.

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FAQ

404 Error Page

Which mistakes lead to many 404 pages after a relaunch?
Usually the mapping from old to new URLs is incomplete. Typical causes are changed path structures, forgotten legacy assets such as PDFs or images, and typos in redirect rules. Internal links that still point to old addresses add to the problem. Crawling the old site before go-live and monitoring afterward expose such gaps early.
Why does a 404 page also need to return the 404 status code?
Only the HTTP status code 404 tells search engines that a URL has no content. If the error page returns status 200 instead, it is called a soft 404: the page looks like an error but is reported as valid. That can keep useless URLs in the crawl. The status code can be checked in the browser's developer tools.
When is a redirect better than a 404 page?
A redirect is better when the old URL has a matching successor page. Visitors and link equity are preserved that way. A 404 page is the right answer when content was removed on purpose and no sensible target exists. Blanket redirects to the homepage are usually a weak solution because they do not meet the visitor's expectation.
What belongs on a good 404 error page?
A good 404 page states the error in plain language and offers ways forward: a search field, main navigation, and links to the homepage or popular sections. The tone can reflect the brand, but orientation matters more than humor. The page keeps the familiar layout so visitors do not feel they have left the site.