To prevent the dreaded 404 error you need to improve your hosting, keep your website well-organized, and generally monitor it very closely. Fixing the 404 problem is rather easy, but if you don't do it fast, you'll be losing traffic in droves. Statistics state that over 73% of people who encounter this error leave the page immediately and never return to the website. As no blog can afford to lose readers at such a pace, it's essential that you deal with the issue immediately.
4 (+1) Tips on How to Fix a 404 Error and Prevent It in the Future
1. Fix or redirect the broken links
The first thing you should do is to check your website for broken links and fix each one manually. Depending on the situation, you can either fix the link or redirect it somewhere else. Sometimes you might need to restore deleted pages.
To find broken links you can use specialized tools, like Broken Link Checker or Dead Link Checker. If you can afford it, you can hire a professional to do the checking manually as this is a more reliable method. You can also do this yourself if you have the time.
2. Get a better hosting
Sometimes frequent 404 errors might occur because of an unreliable hosting. Switching to a trustworthy service should be a blogger's priority as the page loading speed and stability of your website largely depend on the quality of the host.
Web Hosting Media is a renowned authority source on all things web hosting and it offers detailed reviews and comparisons of all top companies with affordable rates. These are the deals that fit the budget of even beginner bloggers and ensure a much better service than free hosting. Choosing a reliable company from the start can help your blogging business to pick up fast as you will get top-quality tech support and will be able to provide your readers with a superior user experience of your site.
Switching to a better host is one of the best ways to prevent
3. Resubmit your pages to search engines
Basically, you should always keep an eye on your links and submit all your pages carefully to limit the risk of 404 errors. You should resubmit them for reindexing when you move your website or make any other changes.
Note that moving to a new host often results in multiple 'Page Not Found' errors if you didn't redirect every link right. That's why a major check and reindexing are in order.
4. Monitor your site 24/7
Running a blog is hard work that doesn't stop at creating content. You also need to monitor and update your website, and then double-check it after every plugin update just to be sure that nothing broke.
Use monitoring solutions and have your web hosting tech support on speed dial so you can report and resolve any issues fast. It will also be helpful to keep a detailed log of all your website changes.
Bonus Tip: Make a Fantastic 404 Error Page
It's impossible to fix a 404 Error and guarantee it will never happen again. That's why you need to be prepared for damage limitation when this problem occurs.
Designing a fun and beautiful Page Not Found page is the best thing you can do. Check out these awwward-winning 404 error pages for inspiration and never forget that a working link back to Home is a necessary requirement for them.
