Page returns 4xx

Why it matters

Every link to a 4xx page is a dead end for visitors and wasted crawl budget for Google. If the page used to rank or had links from other sites, that value is lost as well.

How Snaglist checks it

Snaglist follows every internal link and records the status code of each address. Every address that answers with a code from 400 to 499 is listed, together with the page where Snaglist found the link.

Common causes

• A page was deleted or its address changed without a redirect
• A typo in a link or in the menu
• A product or post was taken offline
• A plugin or migration changed the URL structure

How to fix it

1. Decide whether the page should exist. If it should, restore it.
2. If it is gone for good, add a 301 redirect to the best replacement.
3. Update the internal links that point to the old address, so visitors do not take the detour.
4. Remove the address from your XML sitemap.