To fix a 404 error, decide whether the missing page has a relevant replacement: if it does, add a 301 redirect from the broken URL to that page; if it does not, let it return 404 or 410. The QCK 404 Redirect Mapper speeds this up by matching each broken URL to the closest live page and exporting a ready-to-import redirect map.
What a 404 error is
A 404 Not Found status means the server could not find anything at the requested URL. Related statuses:
| Status | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 404 Not Found | Nothing exists at this URL. It may be temporary or permanent. |
| 410 Gone | The resource was removed intentionally and will not return. |
| Soft 404 | A page that tells users it does not exist (or has almost no content) but returns 200. Google detects and reports these. |
For Google, 404 and 410 have nearly the same effect: the URL is eventually dropped from the index. 410 can be marginally faster, but either is fine.
Do 404 errors hurt SEO?
Google has stated that 404s are a normal part of the web and do not harm a site's overall rankings. Removing old products or retiring content is expected. The real costs of 404s are more specific:
- Lost link value. If other sites link to a URL that now 404s, the value of those links is lost. Redirecting it to a relevant page recovers that.
- Lost visitors and revenue. Bookmarks, emails, ads and AI assistant answers that point to the old URL send people to a dead end. For an e-commerce store, a discontinued product with a 404 loses the visitor; a redirect to the replacement or category can keep the sale.
- Wasted crawling and poor experience when internal links point to broken URLs.
So prioritize 404s that have backlinks, traffic or internal links pointing at them. A URL that nobody links to and nobody visits can be left alone.
Where to find your 404s
- Google Search Console: the Pages report lists URLs under "Not found (404)" and "Soft 404". Export them.
- A site crawler: crawls find internal links that point to broken URLs.
- Backlink tools: most report broken pages that still receive external links.
- Analytics and server logs: look for visits or requests to your 404 page and the URLs that triggered them.
How to use the QCK 404 Redirect Mapper
- Collect your broken URLs from the sources above into one list.
- Collect your live URLs, for example from your XML sitemap or a crawl export.
- Open the 404 Redirect Mapper and provide both lists.
- Run the matching. The tool suggests the closest live page for each broken URL.
- Review every suggestion. Accept good matches, correct weak ones, and remove URLs that should simply stay 404.
- Export the redirect map and import it into your platform, such as Shopify's URL redirects, a WordPress redirect plugin, or your server or CDN configuration.
Automatic matching saves time, but a human review is essential. URL similarity is a starting point, not a guarantee of relevance.
How to choose the right redirect target
- Same item, new URL: redirect to the new URL. This is the cleanest case.
- Replacement product or updated article: redirect to the replacement.
- No direct replacement: redirect to the closest parent, such as the product's category or the article's topic hub.
- Nothing relevant: let it return 404 or 410. Do not redirect it to the homepage.
Redirecting many unrelated URLs to the homepage is a common mistake. Google may treat those redirects as soft 404s, so you gain nothing, and visitors land somewhere that does not match what they wanted.
Tips and mistakes to avoid
- Use 301 redirects for permanent moves. See the redirect guide for status codes and chains.
- Avoid chains. If an old URL already redirects somewhere, update it to point at the final destination.
- Fix internal links at the source. A redirect is a patch. Update the links on your own site to point directly at live pages.
- Make your 404 page useful. Return a real 404 status, and include search, popular categories and a link home.
- Plan for discontinued products. Decide a policy in advance: keep the page with alternatives if it has value, or redirect to the closest category.
- Do not 404 temporarily out-of-stock products. If an item is coming back, keep the page live, mark it out of stock, and show alternatives. Removing and recreating URLs throws away rankings each time.
- Clean your sitemap. Remove broken URLs. See the sitemap guide.
Large 404 cleanups usually follow migrations and replatforms. Our technical SEO team builds and validates redirect maps for site moves, and our e-commerce SEO team sets policies for discontinued products.