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A Soft 404 misleads users and search engines by serving a valid status for missing content.
A Soft 404 occurs when a webpage returns a 200 OK status code, indicating successful loading, but the content is actually missing or not what the user expected. This can mislead search engines, as they may think the page is valid when it is not. Soft 404s can arise from poorly designed custom 404 pages or situations where a page has been removed without proper redirection. To avoid this, webmasters should ensure that pages returning a 200 status provide meaningful content or utilize 301 redirects to guide users to relevant alternatives.
Soft 404s can dilute your site's SEO by causing search engines to index non-existent pages, leading to a poor user experience. Addressing soft 404s ensures that search engines accurately reflect your site's content.
For instance, if www.example.com/old-article returns a 200 status but only shows a message saying the content is no longer available, it is a soft 404. A better approach would be to serve a 404 or 410 status or direct users to similar content.
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