Soft 404: Pages That Say Not Found but Return a 200
A soft 404 tells visitors a page is missing while returning 200 to search engines. Learn why it confuses crawlers and how to fix it.
A soft 404 is a page that displays not-found content to users but responds to search engines with a 200 OK status instead of a 404.
What a Soft 404 Does
A real 404 honestly tells crawlers the page is gone. A soft 404 tells them the URL is alive, so they keep trying to index a page that has nothing useful on it.
Why Soft 404s Matter
- They waste crawl budget on empty pages.
- They fill the index with thin, low-value URLs.
- They create dead ends for real visitors.
- They send confused signals about site quality.
What Causes Soft 404s
- Single-page apps that return 200 for every route.
- CMS templates that render a not-found view without the 404 status.
- Empty search result pages.
- Discontinued products showing placeholder text.
How to Find and Fix Them
- Check Google Search Console coverage reports for flagged URLs.
- Run a crawl and filter for low-content pages.
- Return a true 404 status for missing content.
- Or redirect to a relevant page with a 301, then update internal links.
The change: a product is discontinued but its URL still exists.
The setup: the page shows "This product is no longer available."
The reading: the server still returns 200, so Google keeps it in the index.
Why it works: returning a real 404, or a 301 to a similar product, tells Google the URL is gone.
Quick Tip
The status code and the page should always agree. If the content is gone, the status should say so.
Frequently Asked Questions
Soft 404s, Bottom Line
Soft 404s are a mismatch between what the page says and what the server says.
Make the status code match the content and the problem disappears.