You open the Page indexing report in Google Search Console and find a list of URLs marked "Soft 404". Some of them are pages you know are fine: product pages, blog posts, even category pages that make you money. Others are genuinely broken. Either way, Google has decided not to index them.
A soft 404 is a mismatch between what your server says and what the page shows. The server responds "200 OK", but the content looks like an error, an empty template or a dead end. Google trusts the content more than the status code, so it treats the page as not found.
This guide explains what triggers soft 404s, how to find and diagnose them, and exactly which fix to apply in each situation, whether the page should be removed, redirected or improved.
Key Takeaways
- A soft 404 is a URL that returns a success code (2xx) but whose content looks like an error or empty page.
- Google excludes soft 404 URLs from its index, just as it does with real 404s.
- Genuinely missing pages should return a 404 or 410; moved pages should 301 redirect to a close replacement.
- Valid pages flagged by mistake usually need more substantive content or a fixed rendering problem.
- Use URL Inspection's live test and "View tested page" to see what Google actually rendered.
What Is a Soft 404 Error?
When a page is missing, the server should send a 404 (Not Found) or 410 (Gone) status code. A soft 404 happens when it sends 200 instead. Google's Page indexing report documentation defines it this way:
“This means that it returns a user-friendly "not found" message but not a 404 HTTP response code.”
— Search Console Help, Page indexing report
Google's HTTP status code documentation adds that if a 2xx response's content suggests an error, such as an empty page or an error message, Search Console will show a soft 404 error. In short: Google reads the page, sees no useful content, and overrides the status code. For a refresher on how each code works, see our HTTP status codes guide.
Soft 404 vs Hard 404
| Hard 404 | Soft 404 | |
|---|---|---|
| Status code sent | 404 or 410 | 200 (or another 2xx) |
| What the page shows | A "not found" message | An error, empty template or almost no content |
| Who decides | Your server | Google, by interpreting the content |
| Indexed? | No | No |
| Is it a problem? | Only if the page should exist | Yes: either the status code is wrong or the page looks broken |
| Usual fix | Redirect or restore if valuable; otherwise leave | Return a correct status code or improve the page |
Hard 404s on URLs that should not exist are normal and harmless; our guide to fixing 404 errors explains when to act. Soft 404s always deserve a look, because they mean your server and your content are telling different stories.
Why Soft 404s Matter for SEO
- Good pages drop out of the index. If Google misreads a real product or article as an error, it will not rank.
- Crawling is wasted. Google keeps re-fetching URLs that return 200, so empty pages consume crawl activity that could go to valuable URLs.
- Users hit dead ends. The same empty pages frustrate visitors who arrive from links or old bookmarks.
- They signal quality issues. Many soft 404s on one template often point to thin content or a broken component.
Common Causes of Soft 404s
| Cause | Example | Best fix |
|---|---|---|
| Custom error page served with 200 | CMS "Page not found" template that returns 200 | Configure the server/CMS to send a real 404 |
| Empty category or search results | "No products match your filters" | Return 404 for empty combinations or add products/content |
| Out-of-stock or discontinued products | Product page with only "Unavailable" | Keep useful content and alternatives, or 301/404 if permanently gone |
| Redirects to the home page | Every deleted URL redirects to / | Redirect to a relevant page, or return 404/410 |
| Very thin pages | Tag pages with one post, placeholder pages | Expand, merge or remove |
| JavaScript rendering failures | SPA shows a blank shell to Googlebot | Fix rendering; use server-side 404s or noindex for errors |
| Blocked resources or API errors | Content loads from an API Googlebot cannot reach | Unblock resources; fix server timeouts |
| Server overload | Page renders an error message during peak load | Improve hosting capacity; return 503 for temporary errors |
Redirecting many unrelated deleted pages to the home page is a frequent trigger in practice: the visitor gets nothing equivalent to what they asked for, and SEOs commonly see such URLs reported as soft 404s. Our redirects guide explains how to choose relevant targets.
How to Find Soft 404 Errors
- Open the Page indexing report in Search Console and look under "Why pages aren't indexed" for "Soft 404". Our Page indexing report guide walks through the interface.
- Export the example URLs and group them by template (product, category, tag, search, blog).
- Run URL Inspection on a sample from each group and use the live test.
- Click "View tested page" to see the screenshot and rendered HTML Google produced.
- Crawl your site and filter for 200 pages with very low word counts or titles such as "Not found".
- Test a nonsense URL such as
https://www.example.com/this-page-does-not-exist-123with a header checker to confirm your error page returns 404.
“To see how Google sees the page, run a live URL inspection test against the page and click View tested page”
— Search Console Help, Page indexing report
How to Fix Soft 404s: A Decision Process
Every soft 404 falls into one of three situations. Decide which applies, then act.
1. The page really is gone
Google's advice is direct: "We recommend returning a 404 response code for truly "not found" pages". Use 410 if you want to state that removal is permanent. Do not noindex an error page that returns 200; fix the status code at the source.
2. The page has moved or has a close replacement
Use a 301 redirect to the most relevant equivalent, such as the new version of a product or the parent category. Avoid blanket redirects to the home page.
3. The page is valid and Google misread it
Search Console Help suggests adding more information to the page so it is not mistaken for a soft 404. In practice:
- Add descriptive text, specifications, images and helpful links to thin templates.
- For out-of-stock products, keep the full description and show related items or restock dates.
- Check the rendered screenshot for blank areas caused by JavaScript or blocked resources.
- Make sure critical content is in the initial HTML or rendered reliably; see our JavaScript SEO guide.
After fixing, use "Validate fix" in the Page indexing report so Google rechecks the affected URLs.
Soft 404s on JavaScript Sites
Single-page applications are especially prone to soft 404s because routing happens in the browser, so the server answers 200 for every path. Google's JavaScript troubleshooting guide recommends one or both of these approaches:
- Redirect to a URL where the server responds with a 404 status code.
- Add or change the robots meta tag to
noindexon error views.
fetch(`https://api.example.com/products/${id}`)
.then(res => res.json())
.then(product => {
if (!product.exists) {
// Tell Google this view is an error page
const meta = document.createElement('meta');
meta.name = 'robots';
meta.content = 'noindex';
document.head.appendChild(meta);
}
});Server-side rendering makes this simpler because the server can send a genuine 404 status. Compare the approaches in our guide to server-side vs client-side rendering.
Preventing Soft 404s on Filters and Search Pages
Faceted navigation is a major source of empty pages. Google's faceted navigation guidance says to return a 404 when a filter combination has no results, and its URL structure guide warns that sites can create infinite spaces if the server does not respond with the right status code for nonexistent pages. Our guide to URL parameters and SEO covers blocking and consolidating these URLs.
Common Mistakes
- Redirecting every 404 to the home page. It hides the problem from you and often still shows up as a soft 404.
- Adding filler text. Padding a page with boilerplate does not make it useful; add genuine information or remove it.
- Noindexing instead of fixing. If a page is truly missing, return 404 rather than a 200 page with noindex (SPAs excepted).
- Ignoring rendering. Pages that look fine in your browser may render empty for Googlebot; read our explainer on how Googlebot works.
- Serving maintenance pages with 200. Use 503 for temporary outages; see our article on how web hosting affects SEO.
- Keeping dead tag and archive pages. Consider content pruning to remove or merge them.
Related Guides
- How Googlebot Works: Crawling Explained
- The Noindex Tag: When and How to Use It
- How to Test and Fix Structured Data
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a soft 404 error?
A page that returns a success status code such as 200 while showing content that looks like an error, an empty template or almost nothing. Google treats it as not found and does not index it.
Do soft 404 errors hurt SEO?
They do not penalise your site, but affected URLs are excluded from the index, and many soft 404s can waste crawling. If valuable pages are flagged, you lose their potential traffic.
How do I fix a soft 404?
Return a 404 or 410 if the page is gone, 301 redirect if it moved to a close replacement, or add substantive content and fix rendering if the page is valid.
Why does Google flag a page that works fine as a soft 404?
Usually because Google saw little content: thin templates, JavaScript that failed to render, blocked resources or wording that resembles an error message. Check the URL Inspection screenshot.
Is a redirect to the home page a soft 404?
It can be. Redirecting unrelated deleted pages to the home page gives users no equivalent content, and in practice such URLs are often reported as soft 404s in Search Console.
How long does it take to clear soft 404s in Search Console?
It depends on how often Google recrawls the URLs. Use Validate fix in the Page indexing report to ask Google to recheck them.
Conclusion
Soft 404s are Google telling you that a page's status code and content disagree. Make missing pages return honest 404 or 410 codes, redirect moved pages to relevant replacements, and give valid pages enough real content and reliable rendering that nobody, human or crawler, mistakes them for errors.
If your Page indexing report is full of exclusions you cannot explain, our technical SEO audits trace each one back to its cause. Get a free quote.
References
- Search Console Help: Page indexing report
- Google Crawling Infrastructure: How HTTP status codes affect Google's crawlers
- Google Search Central: Fix Search-related JavaScript problems
- Google Search Central: Managing crawling of faceted navigation URLs
- Google Search Central: URL structure best practices for Google
- Semrush: What Is a 404 Error? How It Affects SEO & How to Fix It
