Difference between 404 Error, DNS Error And “Server Not Found” Messages
404 Error is different from DNS Error, also resulting from dead links, wherein content is being moved to a different domain altogether, and the requested URL redirected to an invalid server name (server name does not exist). In 404 Error, the server is traceable as per the web browser’s request, but the targeted content is no longer available. Also, this error is different from “server not found” messages, wherein contact with the target server itself could not be established by the web browser.
Scouting 404 Error Pages with Google Webmaster and WordPress Redirection Plugin
404 Errors are not exactly SEO-friendly; hence it is better advised not to have a big list of such pages for your web based sites or blogs. SEO is all about optimizing positive user experience for the netizens, and the 404 error messages are a hindrance to that end. The basic step is to first, identify the potential 404 pages by accessing the Google Webmaster tool. You need to select “Crawl errors” from the Google Webmaster tool dashboard, and then click on “Not found” to get the list of your links. Now, you can select individual links and choose the “linked from” option to examine the link routes. Additionally, Redirection Plugin by WordPress can be used to check and redirect 404 pages from your console.
Fixing 404 Error Pages for Your Domain: Best Practices
• Once you have discovered the potential 404 error pages, you may use 301 Redirect to fix your dead links and redirect them to the applicable web based article or category.
• If the misspelled or incorrect link from some other domain is the reason for your 404 error message, then you can place a request with the webmaster to correct the link or use a 301 Redirect yourself.
• In case no relevant web based article, post or category, is available on your website based on the targeted topic, and then you can simply leave it as a 404 error page, which will be de-indexed by Google after a certain period.
• Additionally, you may yourself de-index 404 error pages from your web index with the help of Google Webmaster removal tool. However, this step is only recommended in case you have a small number of 404 error pages which can be manually handled. For bigger batches of 404 error page de-indexing, it is better letting Google handle them on your behalf and follow the previous step mentioned.
• An interesting way to utilize a 404 error page to provide a positive user experience is to remodel such a page by adding a search index, displaying relevant posts as per user targeted query or promoting some bestselling web posts or articles from your web gateway.
About The Author:
Jask is a web design company in Birmingham and Neil is a senior content manager at Jask. He love writing on technology and SEO. He also emphasize on utilizing the best SEO techniques that are white hat and search engine friendly for getting long term profitable results.
