How to reduce the 404 errors log

Hello,

We apologize for the issue you are facing with the 404 errors on your website. Yes, having a lot of 404 errors can negatively impact your SEO ranking, as they can lead to a poor user experience and affect how search engines crawl your site.

To reduce the number of 404 errors logged in Rank Math, you can take the following steps:

1. Identify the Source of 404 Errors: First, check the 404 Monitor in Rank Math to see which URLs are causing the errors. This will help you understand if they are due to broken links or if users are searching for content that no longer exists.

2. Redirect Broken Links: If the URLs that are returning 404 errors are valid pages that have been moved or renamed, consider setting up 301 redirects to guide users to the correct pages. You can do this using the Redirections module in Rank Math.

   • To set up a redirect, go to Rank Math SEO → Redirections and add the old URL and the new URL where you want to redirect users.

3. Clear the 404 Log: Once you have addressed the errors, you can clear the 404 log in Rank Math. To do this, go to Rank Math SEO → 404 Monitor and click on Clear Log to remove all entries from the log.
   

4. Monitor Regularly: Keep an eye on the 404 Monitor regularly to catch any new errors as they arise. This will help you maintain a clean log and improve your site’s SEO health.

5. Consider User Behavior: If certain URLs are frequently searched by users but do not exist, consider creating relevant content or pages that address those searches.

For more detailed instructions on fixing 404 errors, you can refer to our dedicated tutorial here.

If you have any further questions or need assistance, feel free to reply to this ticket, and a human agent from our support team will assist you further!

Sources:
How to Monitor 404 Errors with Rank Math SEO Plugin