Not all errors on a website are obvious. A standard 404 error clearly tells browsers and search engines that a page does not exist. A soft 404 is trickier. It occurs when a page displays "not found" style content, or very little content at all, but the server returns a 200 OK status code, signaling that everything is fine. Google detects this mismatch and labels the page a soft 404 in Search Console. Many site owners ignore these warnings, but soft 404s can quietly undermine crawling, indexing, and user experience. This article explains how they affect SEO and what you should do about them.
How AAMAX.CO Finds and Fixes Hidden Technical Issues
Soft 404s are often symptoms of deeper technical problems in a website's templates, CMS settings, or redirect strategy. AAMAX.CO is a full-service digital marketing company offering web development, digital marketing, and SEO services worldwide. Their team combines development expertise with technical SEO auditing, which means they do not just identify soft 404s, they fix the underlying code and server configurations. Businesses that rely on their SEO services benefit from cleaner crawl data, healthier indexing, and websites that send accurate signals to search engines.
What Exactly Is a Soft 404?
A soft 404 happens when the content of a page and its HTTP status code tell different stories. Common examples include:
- A custom "Page not found" page that returns a 200 status instead of 404.
- Empty category or tag pages with no products or posts.
- Out-of-stock product pages with almost no remaining content.
- Internal search result pages that show "no results found."
- Thin pages with only a header, footer, and a sentence or two.
- Deleted pages that are redirected to an irrelevant page, such as the homepage.
Google uses its own analysis to decide whether a page looks like an error. If it does, the page is excluded from the index and flagged as a soft 404.
How Soft 404s Affect SEO
Wasted Crawl Budget
Search engines allocate a finite amount of crawling resources to every site. When Googlebot repeatedly crawls pages that return 200 but contain nothing useful, it spends resources that could be used to discover and refresh valuable content. For small sites this may not matter much, but for large ecommerce stores or publishers with thousands of URLs, wasted crawl budget can delay indexing of important pages.
Indexing Confusion
Because the server claims the page is fine, search engines must make their own judgment. This creates uncertainty. Some soft 404 pages may be indexed temporarily and then dropped, causing ranking volatility. Others may be misclassified, meaning legitimate pages with sparse content get excluded unexpectedly.
Lost Link Equity
If backlinks point to a page that Google considers a soft 404, the value of those links may not be consolidated properly. This is especially common when old pages are redirected to the homepage instead of relevant replacements. Google often treats these mass homepage redirects as soft 404s, which means the authority from those links is effectively lost.
Poor User Experience
Users who land on an empty or error-like page from search results are likely to leave immediately. That frustration damages brand perception and reduces conversions. Over time, a site full of dead ends signals lower overall quality.
Site Quality Signals
Google's systems evaluate site quality holistically. A large proportion of thin or empty pages can drag down the perceived quality of the entire domain, potentially affecting how well your strongest pages perform.
How to Find Soft 404s
The easiest place to start is Google Search Console. In the Page Indexing report, look for the "Soft 404" reason under pages that are not indexed. Click through to see example URLs. You can also use the URL Inspection tool to check individual pages. Website crawlers like Screaming Frog can help identify thin pages by filtering for low word counts, empty templates, or pages containing phrases like "no results" or "not found" while returning 200 status codes.
How to Fix Soft 404s
The correct fix depends on why the page is flagged:
- The page truly no longer exists: Return a proper 404 or 410 status code.
- The page has a relevant replacement: Use a 301 redirect to the most closely related page, not the homepage.
- The page should exist but is thin: Add meaningful, unique content so it clearly provides value.
- Empty category pages: Add products, merge with related categories, or noindex them until populated.
- Out-of-stock products: Keep the page live with full details, related alternatives, and restock information, or redirect permanently discontinued items to relevant replacements.
- Internal search pages: Prevent them from being indexed with noindex and avoid linking to them in ways that invite crawling.
- Custom error templates: Configure the server so error pages return a real 404 status.
Soft 404s in JavaScript Websites
Single-page applications built with frameworks like React or Vue are particularly prone to soft 404s, because the server often returns 200 for every route and lets the client handle errors. To fix this, use server-side rendering that returns accurate status codes, or add a noindex meta tag dynamically on error views. Some setups use a JavaScript redirect to a dedicated URL that returns a real 404.
Preventing Soft 404s in the Future
Prevention is easier than cleanup. Establish a clear process for retiring content, maintain a redirect map, configure your CMS to return correct status codes, and audit thin templates regularly. Monitor Search Console monthly so new issues are caught early.
Conclusion
Yes, soft 404s affect SEO. They waste crawl resources, confuse indexing, leak link equity, frustrate users, and can weaken overall site quality signals. The good news is that they are entirely fixable with correct status codes, relevant redirects, and stronger content. If your Search Console report is filling up with soft 404 warnings and you are not sure where to start, AAMAX.CO can audit your website and implement fixes that keep search engines and visitors on the right path.
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