A normal 404 is honest: the server says the page does not exist. A soft 404 is different. The server says “200 OK, here is the page”, but what Google finds looks like an error page, an empty page or something with no real value. Google then treats the URL as missing and keeps it out of the index. You will find these under “Soft 404” in the Page indexing report of Google Search Console.
This article is part of our complete guide: Why Is My Website Not on Google? The Complete Indexing Guide.
Soft 404s matter for two reasons. First, if Google is wrong and the page is valuable, you lose a page that should rank. Second, if the page really is empty, returning 200 wastes crawl budget and confuses both visitors and search engines.
What triggers a soft 404
Google uses the content of the page, not just the status code. These are the patterns we see most often:
1. Pages that say “not found” but return 200
Custom error templates, “no results” pages and “this product is unavailable” pages that return a 200 status are the classic case. The text says “not found”, so Google believes it.
2. Empty or nearly empty pages
Category pages with no products, tag pages with no posts, blank location pages, placeholder pages with “coming soon” and template pages with only a heading all look empty to Google.
3. Out-of-stock or discontinued products
A product page with no price, no add-to-cart button and a big “sold out” message can be classified as a soft 404, especially if it has thin descriptions.
4. Redirects to irrelevant pages
When many old URLs redirect to the homepage or a generic category, Google sees that the destination does not match what the original URL promised and labels the redirect a soft 404.
5. Pages that fail to render
If key content is loaded by JavaScript that fails for Googlebot, or resources are blocked by robots.txt, Google may render an empty shell. The page works for you but not for Google.
6. Hacked or spammy pages
Spam pages injected by malware sometimes return thin or broken content. If the soft 404 list contains URLs you do not recognise, see our malware removal service.
How to diagnose a soft 404
- Export the URLs from the Soft 404 report and group them by type: products, categories, blog posts, redirects, unknown URLs.
- Open a few in your browser. Do they show real content? Is there a “not found” message?
- Run URL Inspection with “Test live URL” and click “View tested page” to see the screenshot and rendered HTML. If the screenshot is blank, you have a rendering problem.
- Check the server response code with a header checker. Real missing pages should return 404 or 410.
- For redirected URLs, compare the old URL’s topic with the destination.
The right fix for each situation
The page really is gone
Return a real 404 or 410 status. Make your custom error page helpful with a search box and links to popular pages, but make sure the server sends the correct code. On WordPress this happens automatically for deleted content; problems usually come from plugins or themes that override it.
The page has moved or has a close replacement
Use a 301 redirect to the most relevant page, not to the homepage. If a discontinued product has a newer model, redirect to that model. If a service is no longer offered, redirect to the closest related service or the category.
The page is valuable but thin
Add substance. A category page needs an introduction, useful filters and items. A service page needs a clear description, process, pricing guidance, FAQs and proof. A location page needs genuinely local information. Our guide to thin content covers how much is enough.
Out-of-stock products
If the product is coming back, keep the page live with full details, mark it as out of stock in structured data, show the expected date and offer alternatives or a notify-me option. If it is gone forever with no replacement, return a 404 or 410, or redirect to the closest product.
Empty categories and tags
Either add content or noindex them, and remove links to them from menus. Many WordPress sites create dozens of empty tag pages over time.
Rendering problems
Make sure CSS and JavaScript are crawlable, that important text is in the HTML rather than loaded only after user interaction, and that third-party scripts do not block rendering. Test again with URL Inspection after changes.
After fixing
Request indexing for pages that should now be indexed, then click “Validate fix” in the report. Google will recheck the URLs over the following weeks. For pages you turned into real 404s or redirects, the soft 404 entries will move to “Not found (404)” or “Page with redirect”, which is expected.
Soft 404s on website builders
Wix: empty dynamic pages and blank blog category pages are common sources. Delete or fill them. Squarespace: empty collection pages and unused gallery pages can trigger it. Shopify: empty collections and sold-out products with minimal descriptions are the usual cause. Our Wix and Squarespace SEO and Shopify services handle these clean-ups.
A real-world pattern
When a business closes a product line or service, the old pages often get redirected to the homepage in a rush. That is exactly what creates waves of soft 404s. During redesigns such as Crazy Color Malta and Powersports Software, mapping old URLs to relevant new pages avoided this problem. Our redesign checklist explains the method.
Soft 404 checklist
- Real missing pages return 404 or 410, not 200.
- Redirects go to relevant pages, not the homepage.
- Category, tag and location pages have real content or are noindexed.
- Out-of-stock products keep useful content and alternatives.
- Google can render the page fully in URL Inspection.
- Unknown spammy URLs are investigated as a security issue.
Related guides and services
- Page with redirect: which redirects are harmless and which ones waste crawl budget.
- Crawled – currently not indexed: what to do when Google reads a page but refuses to index it.
- Blocked by robots.txt: how to read and repair a robots.txt file safely.
- Website redesign without losing SEO: how to relaunch a site without dropping in Google.
- Google indexing fix service: we diagnose and fix pages Google will not index.
Get expert help
If you would rather spend your time running your business, MIVAQ can handle this for you. We audit the site, fix the root causes, document every change and show you the before-and-after in Search Console, so you know exactly what improved and why. Start with our Google indexing fix service, browse real client results in our case studies, or contact us for a free, no-pressure review of your website.
Frequently asked questions
Are soft 404s bad for SEO?
They are not a penalty, but they waste crawling and can hide pages that should rank. Fix the ones that matter.
Should I redirect all 404s to the homepage?
No. Google usually treats that as a soft 404. Redirect only to relevant pages, and let truly gone pages return 404.
What is the difference between 404 and 410?
Both mean the page is gone. 410 says it is gone permanently and can be dropped slightly faster.
Why is a page with lots of content marked soft 404?
Usually because Google could not render it, or because the page contains error-like wording such as “no products found”.
