A soft 404 is a page that tells visitors "not found" or shows almost nothing, but tells Google the request succeeded with a 200 status. Google flags it in Search Console and may leave it out of the index. The fix depends on the page: return a real 404 or 410 if it is gone, or add real content if it should exist.
What is a soft 404?
Every page request returns an HTTP status code. A 200 means "here is the page". A 404 means "this does not exist". A soft 404 is a mismatch between the two: the server says 200, but the page looks like an error or an empty shell.
Google's Search Console help describes the status as a page that returns a user-friendly "not found" message but not a 404 HTTP response code. Google's crawler documentation adds that if the content looks like an error for Search, such as an empty page or an error message, Search Console will show a soft 404 error.
The word "soft" matters because nothing is technically broken. No server error is logged, and a visitor sees a friendly message. Only the status code is wrong, and that is the part a crawler reads first.
Why do soft 404s matter?
Google does not use the content of URLs that return a 4xx status, and a soft 404 is treated the same way even though it returned 200. The page you meant to rank will not appear in results.
There is a second cost. Google still has to fetch each soft 404 to find out it is empty. On a small site that is trivial. On a large one with thousands of empty search or filter pages, it adds to the load described in what crawl budget is and who needs to care.
What causes soft 404s?
- A custom "not found" page that returns 200. This is common when a single-page app or a CMS template renders the error message but never sets the status code.
- Empty category, tag or search result pages. The page loads, but the list of items is blank.
- Thin placeholder pages. A product page that says "out of stock" with nothing else, or a page with only a heading.
- Redirects to the home page. If you send every deleted URL to the home page, Google may read the mismatch as a soft 404, because the destination has nothing to do with the old page.
- Content that failed to load. A page whose main content comes from a script or API that errored, leaving the shell behind.
How do you find soft 404s?
- Open Search Console and go to the Page indexing report. Look for "Soft 404" in the list of reasons pages are not indexed.
- Click the reason to see the affected URLs.
- Inspect a few with the URL Inspection tool. Our guide to checking whether a page is indexed walks through it.
- Check the status code yourself. In a browser, open developer tools, go to the Network tab, reload, and read the status of the first request. If a page says "not found" and the status is 200, you have a soft 404.
The same test works for pages Search Console has not flagged yet. Request a made-up URL on your own site, such as /this-page-does-not-exist. If it returns 200, every mistyped link on the web points at a soft 404 on your domain.
How do you fix a soft 404?
Start by asking one question: should this URL exist? Google's guidance in the Page indexing report is to return a true 404 for pages that really do not exist, and to add substantive content to pages that should.
| Situation | Fix |
|---|---|
| The page was deleted for good, no replacement | Return a 404 or 410 status. Keep your friendly error message, but set the status code. |
| The page moved to a new URL | 301 redirect to the new URL. See 301 vs 302 redirects. |
| The page should exist but is thin or empty | Add the real content, or merge it into a stronger page and redirect. |
| An empty search or filter page | Return 404 when there are no results, or block those URLs from crawling. |
| Content failed to load | Fix the script or API error so the content renders for Googlebot as well as for visitors. |
After fixing, return to the Page indexing report, open the Soft 404 reason, and use "Validate fix". Google rechecks the listed URLs over the following days.
Should you redirect every deleted page to the home page?
No. A redirect should go to the closest equivalent page. If there is none, a 404 is the honest answer. Google's report says a 404 is usually fine for a page you removed with no replacement. It also says to focus on 404s that you link to yourself or list in a sitemap, since those are the ones you can actually fix.
That second point connects to your sitemap. If a removed URL is still listed there, you are asking Google to crawl something you have deleted. Remove it, as covered in do you need an XML sitemap.
How do you stop soft 404s coming back?
- Set the status code in your error template, not only the message. Test it after every theme or framework change.
- Decide what an empty list returns before you build the page.
- When you delete or merge content, update internal links and the sitemap in the same step.
- Re-check the Page indexing report after any large content import or migration.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is a soft 404 bad for SEO?
It is bad for the page affected, since Google may not index it. It is not a sitewide penalty. A handful of soft 404s on junk URLs does little harm; a valuable page flagged as one is worth fixing quickly.
What is the difference between a 404 and a soft 404?
A 404 is an honest status code: the page is missing. A soft 404 shows the same "missing" experience but sends a 200 code, so crawlers get mixed signals.
Should I use 404 or 410 for deleted pages?
Either tells Google the page is gone. Use 410 if you want to say it was removed on purpose. For most small sites the difference is not worth worrying about; the key is not returning 200.
Will fixing a soft 404 get the page indexed?
Only if the page now has real content that is worth indexing. If you changed the status to 404, the page leaves the index by design, which is the right result for a page that should not exist.
Can a thin page that is not an error still be a soft 404?
Yes. Google can flag a page as a soft 404 when its content looks empty or like an error message, even if you never meant it as one. Adding substantive content is the fix.