Gary Illyes from Google has recently highlighted the negative impact of soft 404 errors on search engine optimization (SEO). These errors can deplete important resources and lead to inefficiencies in website performance, as well as misguided web crawlers.
Soft 404 errors are triggered when a front-facing or nonexistent webpage responds with an “OK” status. This leads to web spiders frequently revisiting the same pages, causing a drain on resources. It’s crucial to identify and address these errors to increase website efficiency and improve search engine rankings.
Furthermore, it’s possible for pages to be missed during indexing due to these errors, leading to them being omitted from search results. This causes gaps in data retrieval and reduces the effectiveness of search engines.
Illyes advises that web managers ensure they correctly issue HTTP status codes during error incidents.
Resolving soft 404 errors for efficient SEO
This helps web crawlers to better understand the situation and promotes a more efficient allocation of resources. He cautions against the use of text-based error messages, as web crawlers can’t interpret them.
In the same vein, keeping an updated XML sitemap for larger websites is a vital task that shouldn’t be overlooked, according to Illyes. He emphasizes that neglecting this can lead to underutilization of web crawlers and outdated links that direct to nonexistent pages, which can negatively affect website rankings.
Addressing soft 404 errors can protect websites from a loss of web crawlability and indexing, and prevent a decline in user experience. Regular auditing and prompt correction of crawl errors can significantly improve a site’s chances of retaining its place in search engine rankings.
Illyes suggests monitoring crawl reports and weblogs regularly, using accurate error handling on servers, and utilizing tools like Google Search Console. These approaches can help webmasters more effectively identify and resolve soft 404 errors, and ultimately ensure the smooth operation of their websites.
