A soft 404 is a page that tells search engines "everything is fine" with a 200 OK status code, while the page itself says the content doesn't exist or offers almost nothing. For example, a discontinued product URL that shows "Sorry, this item is no longer available" but still returns a 200 code is a likely soft 404. So is an empty category page with no listings.
For a business, soft 404s waste the attention search engines give your site and create a poor experience for visitors. Google keeps crawling these URLs, flags them in Search Console and won't show them as useful pages. Fixing them helps search engines focus on the pages that actually earn traffic and leads.
What is a soft 404?
Every time a browser or crawler requests a URL, the server replies with an HTTP status code. A 404 (Not Found) or 410 (Gone) tells search engines the page doesn't exist. A 200 says the request worked and there's real content to show. A soft 404 happens when those signals disagree: the server says 200, but the page looks like an error, is empty or is close to empty.
Google's documentation says that if a page returns 200 but its content suggests an error, such as an empty page or an error message, Search Console will show a soft 404. Google's help pages also describe redirecting missing pages to the homepage, instead of returning a 404, as a soft 404 pattern. Common examples include:
- "Page not found" templates that return 200 instead of 404
- Discontinued product pages with no useful content left
- Empty search results, tag or category pages
- Pages whose main content fails to load because of a JavaScript or server error
- Deleted pages redirected to the homepage or another unrelated page
The word "soft" means the error is implied by the content rather than declared by the status code. You'll see it as a reason in the Page indexing report in Google Search Console.
Why soft 404s matter
They waste crawl activity. Google's crawl budget guide says soft 404 pages will continue to be crawled and waste your budget. On a small site this rarely limits anything. On a large ecommerce or listings site with thousands of empty URLs, it can slow how quickly Google finds new and updated pages. See crawl budget for more.
They don't get indexed. A URL flagged as a soft 404 is treated as an error, not as a page to show in results. If an important page is misclassified, for example a real service page whose content loads too slowly or looks too thin, you can lose visibility without noticing.
They frustrate visitors. Google's help documentation says fake content and homepage redirects in place of a 404 can confuse both users and search engines.
They affect AI search too. Google's AI Overviews and AI Mode link to pages from Google's index, so a page needs to be indexed to appear as a supporting link. A soft 404 on a page you want cited takes it out of the running. Clean status codes are part of good technical SEO for both classic and AI search.
How soft 404s work
How Google detects them
Google doesn't rely on the status code alone. When it processes a page that returns 200, it also looks at the content. If the page reads like an error message, is empty or has very little main content, Google may decide it's effectively a "not found" page and label it a soft 404. Google can misread real pages that render slowly, so check flagged URLs that matter before deleting anything.
Common causes
- Misconfigured error pages. Some themes or hosting setups show a custom "not found" page but send a 200 code.
- Thin or empty pages. Templates with no listings, no products or a single line of text. These overlap with thin content.
- Rendering failures. If the main content depends on JavaScript that fails or times out, Google may see a mostly blank page.
- Blanket redirects. Sending every deleted URL to the homepage instead of a relevant replacement.
Where they show up
In Search Console, open the Page indexing report and look for the "Soft 404" reason among pages that aren't indexed. The URL Inspection tool shows what Google fetched and rendered for a single URL. Site crawlers can also flag pages that return 200 but have very little content.
How to fix soft 404s
- Decide whether the URL should exist. If the content is gone for good, the URL should return an error. If it's a real page, it needs real content.
- Return a proper 404 or 410 for removed content. Google's help documentation says permanently deleted content with no replacement should return a 404 or 410.
- Redirect moved content to its true replacement. If a product was replaced or a service page was renamed, use a permanent redirect to the closest matching page, not the homepage.
- Improve pages that should stay. Add what people expect to find: descriptions, prices, availability, photos, FAQs or related options. For products that are only temporarily out of stock, keep the page useful with details and alternatives.
- Handle empty templates. For empty filter, tag or search pages, return a 404 when there are no results, add a noindex tag or stop generating them. This also helps prevent index bloat.
- Validate the fix. After making changes, use "Validate fix" in the Page indexing report so Google rechecks the affected URLs.
Common mistakes and misconceptions
- "Redirecting every dead page to the homepage is safe." It's a common shortcut, but Google can treat irrelevant redirects like this as soft 404s. Redirect only when there's a close match.
- "404 errors hurt my rankings." Google's help documentation says 404s don't harm your site's indexing or ranking. A true 404 for a page that's gone is the correct answer, not a problem to hide.
- "A custom error page fixes the problem." A friendly "not found" page is good for visitors, but it still needs to return a 404 or 410 status code.
- "A URL removal request will clear the error." Google says submitting a removal request won't remove the error from its report. You need to fix the status code or the content.
Soft 404 vs. hard 404
A hard 404 is an honest error. The server returns a 404 status code, and search engines know the page doesn't exist. Google's documentation says newly found 404 URLs aren't processed, and indexed URLs that start returning 4xx codes are removed from the index. A soft 404 sends mixed signals: a 200 code with error-like or empty content. Hard 404s are normal on any site that changes over time. Soft 404s are the ones to fix, because they hide a page's real status from both people and search engines.
How Butter approaches soft 404s
At Butter, soft 404s come up as part of the indexing strategy work in our plans. We review the Page indexing report with clients, group flagged URLs by cause and decide page by page whether each one should return a 404, redirect to a real replacement or be improved with useful content.
We pay closest attention to pages that drive leads and sales, since a valuable service or product page wrongly flagged as a soft 404 can drop out of both search results and AI answers. The goal is simple: every URL should tell search engines the truth about whether it exists and what it offers.
Frequently asked questions
Is a soft 404 a penalty?
No. A soft 404 is a classification, not a manual action. It means Google decided the page behaves like an error and won't index that URL, but the rest of your site isn't punished for it.
How do I find soft 404s on my site?
Open the Page indexing report in Google Search Console and look for the "Soft 404" reason. Use the URL Inspection tool to see how Google rendered each page, and a site crawler to find pages that return 200 but show error text or very little content.
Should a deleted page return a 404 or a 410?
Either works for content that's permanently gone. Google's help documentation says deleted content with no replacement should return a 404 or 410, and Google's crawling documentation says it treats all 4xx errors except 429 the same way.
Can an out-of-stock product page become a soft 404?
Yes, if the page loses most of its useful content. Keep temporarily unavailable products useful with details and alternatives, and return a 404 or redirect to a close replacement when a product is gone for good.