---
title: "Soft 404"
description: "A soft 404 is a page that displays a 'not found' message to users but returns an HTTP 200 (OK) status code instead of a proper 404, confusing search engines about the page's status."
category: "Technical SEO"
date: "2026-03-05"
url: "https://getbeast.io/glossary/soft-404/"
type: "glossary"
---

# Soft 404

**Category:** Technical SEO | **Updated:** 2026-03-05

A soft 404 is a page that displays a 'not found' message to users but returns an HTTP 200 (OK) status code instead of a proper 404, confusing search engines about the page's status.

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## What Is a Soft 404?
A soft 404 occurs when a page effectively has no content (empty product page, "no results found" search page, or a custom error page) but returns an HTTP 200 status code instead of a proper 404. Google detects these and labels them as "soft 404" in Search Console, treating them as errors.

## Why Soft 404s Are Problematic
Soft 404s waste crawl budget because search engines keep crawling pages that have no useful content. They also create a poor user experience and can inflate your indexed page count with worthless pages. Google may reduce your crawl rate if it encounters too many soft 404s, affecting your entire site's crawl efficiency.

## How to Fix Soft 404s
Return a proper 404 or 410 status code for genuinely missing pages. For pages with no content (empty categories, out-of-stock products), either add content, redirect to a parent page, or return 404. Check Search Console for soft 404 reports and audit with [CrawlBeast](/crawler/).

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## Related Terms

- [404 Error](/glossary/404-error/)
- [HTTP Status Codes](/glossary/http-status-codes/)
- [Thin Content](/glossary/thin-content/)
- [Crawl Budget](/glossary/crawl-budget/)
- [Indexation](/glossary/indexation/)

## Further Reading

- [Finding and Fixing 404 Errors](/blog/404-errors/)

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*Part of the [GetBeast SEO Glossary](/glossary/). Visit [GetBeast.io](https://getbeast.io) for professional SEO and log analysis tools.*