How are you handling 404 errors on your websites?

#1086591
  • Maryam nawaz

    4 weeks ago

    Rank Math free

    Hi everyone,

    I’ve recently been facing an issue where some of my visitors end up on 404 error pages, and it really affects the user experience. I started looking for solutions and came across RankMath’s 404 Error Monitor, which looks really helpful.

    I wanted to ask:

    Do you rely only on the 404 Error Monitor to fix broken links, or do you also use redirects?

    Is there a best practice for handling a large number of 404s without hurting SEO?

    Should old links always be redirected, or is it better to just remove them?

    I’m testing this right now on my project site Green Taxi Scheme, and so far the monitoring tool has been great at showing me exactly where the broken links are. But before I implement a full fix, I’d love to hear how others are handling this.

    Thanks in advance for your suggestions!

Viewing 2 replies - 1 through 2 (of 2 total)
  • RankBot

    4 weeks ago

    Hello,

    We apologize for the issue you are facing with 404 errors on your website. It’s great to hear that you’re utilizing Rank Math’s 404 Error Monitor, as it can indeed be a valuable tool for identifying broken links.

    To address your questions:

    1. Using the 404 Error Monitor vs. Redirects: While the 404 Error Monitor is excellent for identifying broken links, it’s often best practice to implement redirects for any URLs that have moved or been deleted, especially if they were previously indexed by search engines. This helps maintain user experience and preserves any SEO value associated with those links.

    2. Best Practices for Handling 404s: When dealing with a large number of 404 errors, consider the following best practices:

      • Redirecting: If a page has been moved or replaced, set up a 301 redirect to guide users to the new location. This is beneficial for both user experience and SEO.
      • Custom 404 Page: Ensure you have a user-friendly custom 404 page that helps visitors navigate back to relevant content on your site.
      • Regular Monitoring: Continue using the 404 Monitor to keep track of new errors and address them promptly.

    3. Redirecting Old Links vs. Removing Them: Generally, it’s better to redirect old links rather than simply removing them, especially if they were receiving traffic or had backlinks pointing to them. This way, you can retain some of the SEO value and provide a better experience for users who may still be trying to access those pages.

    If you need detailed guidance on how to set up redirects or further assistance with your Rank Math settings, we recommend checking out our tutorials or considering our professional setup service at Rank Math Services, which can help ensure everything is configured correctly according to the latest SEO standards.

    Thank you for raising this concern, and we hope this information helps you improve your site’s performance!

    Sources:
    How to Monitor 404 Errors with Rank Math SEO Plugin
    Solving Redirection Issues Using Rank Math SEO Plugin » Rank Math

    This is an automated reply from Rank Math Support Bot. Your ticket has been assigned to a human agent and we will get back to you shortly.

    Ike

    3 weeks, 6 days ago

    Hello,

    Thank you for your query and we are so sorry about the trouble this must have caused.

    Please note that we only report the 404s. We do not have information on how or why they are generated. You can get further insight into them by enabling the advanced monitor.

    That will give you more information like referrer and user-agent. You can use that information to track down the source or find out if it is just bots generating those errors. If so, then you can ask your hosting provider to increase the security of your site to block those bots.

    You can fix these errors by redirecting them to a related page on your website:
    https://rankmath.com/kb/fix-404-errors/

    Hope that helps and please do not hesitate to let us know if you need my assistance with anything else.

Viewing 2 replies - 1 through 2 (of 2 total)

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