How to Find and Fix 404 Errors on Your WordPress Site

Q: Do 404 errors hurt my Google rankings?

Not directly. Google has confirmed that 404 errors are not a ranking signal. However, they can have indirect SEO impact — if external sites link to URLs that return 404, you lose link equity. The damage comes from what the 404 prevents, not from the status code itself.

Q: Should I redirect all 404 errors to my homepage?

No. Google treats bulk homepage redirects as soft 404s. Instead, redirect each 404 to the most relevant alternative page. If no relevant page exists, let the 404 stand and use a custom 404 page to help visitors navigate.

Q: How often should I check for 404 errors?

A continuous monitoring solution like Tidy Broken Link Scan catches issues as they appear. For manual checks, reviewing Google Search Console monthly is reasonable. After major site changes, run an immediate check.

404 errors are an inevitable part of running a website. Pages get deleted, URLs change, external sites link to pages that no longer exist, and visitors mistype addresses. A few 404 errors are normal. But when they accumulate unchecked, they create a poor user experience, waste search engine crawl budget, and leak the link equity that external sites pass to your content.

The good news is that finding and fixing 404 errors on WordPress is straightforward once you know where to look. In this guide, we'll cover the common causes of 404 errors, how to discover them using free and premium tools, and the right way to fix each type.

What Causes 404 Errors on WordPress

Deleted or Trashed Content

The most obvious cause: you delete a page or post, but links to it still exist. Internal links in other articles, navigation menus, and widgets continue pointing to the old URL. External sites and social media posts that linked to the content now send visitors to a 404 page. This is especially damaging when the deleted page had valuable external backlinks, because that link equity is now completely wasted.

Changed Permalink Structure

If you change your WordPress permalink structure (for example, from /2026/03/post-name/ to /post-name/), every existing URL on your site breaks. WordPress doesn't automatically create redirects when you change permalink settings. Anyone visiting an old URL — whether from a bookmark, a search engine result, or an external link — gets a 404.

Slug Changes

Editing a post's slug (the URL-friendly portion of the permalink) creates a new URL for the post. The old URL becomes a 404. This is common when you rename a post for SEO reasons or fix a typo in the slug. WordPress does create a redirect in some cases (since version 2.1), but it doesn't always work, especially for custom post types or when the slug change is significant.

Plugin or Theme Changes

Plugins that register custom post types, taxonomies, or custom URL routes create URLs that only exist while the plugin is active. Deactivating a portfolio plugin, for example, instantly turns all portfolio page URLs into 404 errors. The same applies to themes with built-in custom post types.

Typos in External Links

Other websites sometimes link to your content with slightly incorrect URLs. These are harder to prevent but still worth fixing if the linking site is authoritative. Redirecting the mistyped URL to the correct page recovers the link equity.

How to Find 404 Errors

Google Search Console

The most authoritative source for 404 errors is Google Search Console. Navigate to Pages (under Indexing) and filter by "Not found (404)." This shows every URL that Google's crawler encountered and received a 404 response. The report includes the date the error was last detected, which helps you prioritize recent issues over old ones.

Search Console's "Links" report also shows which external sites link to your pages. Cross-referencing external links with 404 errors reveals which broken URLs are losing backlink value — these should be your top priority.

Tidy Broken Link Scan Plugin

Tidy Broken Link Scan scans your WordPress content for links that return 404 errors, timeout, or redirect. Unlike Search Console, which only shows URLs that Google has crawled, a link checker plugin scans every link in your content — including links to external sites and internal links that may not be in your sitemap.

The plugin monitors links continuously, alerting you when new broken links are detected. For internal links, it tells you exactly which post contains the broken link, making it easy to fix. For external links, it identifies third-party sites that have moved or removed content you've linked to.

Server Access Logs

For a complete picture, check your server's access logs. These record every request, including 404 responses. Unlike Search Console (which only tracks Googlebot) and link checker plugins (which only scan known content), server logs capture every visitor encounter with a 404 — including crawlers, bots, and direct traffic.

Access logs are available through your hosting control panel (cPanel, Plesk) or by SSHing into your server. Look for lines with a 404 status code and identify the most frequently requested URLs.

How to Fix 404 Errors

301 Redirects (The Primary Fix)

A 301 redirect permanently sends visitors and search engines from the old URL to a new one. It's the correct fix for content that has moved to a different URL, pages that have been merged into other content, and deleted pages where a relevant alternative exists.

You can set up 301 redirects using a plugin like Redirection, your .htaccess file (Apache), or your Nginx configuration. For most WordPress users, a plugin is the simplest approach.

When creating redirects, always point to the most relevant alternative page. Don't redirect everything to your homepage — this provides a poor user experience and Google treats bulk homepage redirects as soft 404 errors.

Update Internal Links

If the 404 error is caused by an internal link in your own content, update the link to point to the correct URL. This is better than relying on redirects for internal navigation. Tidy Broken Link Scan identifies which posts contain the broken link, so you can go directly to the editor and fix it.

For sites with many internal broken links, consider running a site-wide search-and-replace using a database tool (like Better Search Replace) to update old URLs in bulk. Be cautious and always back up your database first.

Create a Custom 404 Page

Not every 404 error needs a redirect. Some URLs are genuinely gone with no relevant replacement. For these, a well-designed custom 404 page helps visitors find what they're looking for instead of hitting a dead end.

A good custom 404 page includes: a clear message explaining that the page wasn't found, a search bar, links to popular or recent content, and your main navigation. Most WordPress themes support custom 404 templates — create a 404.php file in your child theme, or use a page builder to design one.

Leave It (When Appropriate)

Not every 404 needs action. If a URL was never linked to by external sites, has no internal links pointing to it, and receives no organic traffic, the 404 is harmless. Search engines encounter 404 errors constantly and handle them without penalty. Google has explicitly stated that 404 errors are not a ranking signal. Only invest time fixing 404s that affect real visitors or waste real link equity.

Preventing Future 404 Errors

Avoid changing permalink structures after your site is established. If you must change them, set up redirects for every existing URL before making the switch.
Create redirects when deleting content. Before trashing a page or post, check whether it has external backlinks or significant traffic. If so, set up a 301 redirect first.
Monitor continuously. Use a broken link checker to catch new 404 errors as they appear rather than waiting for them to accumulate.
Document URL changes. When you change a slug or restructure content, record the old and new URLs and verify that redirects are working.

Learn more about Tidy Broken Link Scan →

Frequently Asked Questions

Do 404 errors hurt my Google rankings?

Not directly. Google has confirmed that having 404 errors on your site is not a ranking signal — they're a normal part of the web. However, 404 errors can have indirect SEO impact. If external sites link to URLs that return 404, you lose the link equity from those backlinks. If important pages are only reachable through URLs that 404, they won't get crawled or indexed. The damage comes from what the 404 prevents (link equity transfer, page indexing), not from the 404 status code itself.

Should I redirect all 404 errors to my homepage?

No. Redirecting all 404s to the homepage is a common mistake. Google treats bulk homepage redirects as "soft 404s," which means they're effectively ignored. More importantly, it's a poor user experience — someone looking for a specific article lands on your homepage with no explanation. Instead, redirect each 404 to the most relevant alternative page. If no relevant page exists, let the 404 stand and rely on your custom 404 page to help the visitor navigate.

How often should I check for 404 errors?

For actively maintained sites, a continuous monitoring solution like Tidy Broken Link Scan is ideal — it catches issues as they appear. If you prefer manual checks, reviewing Google Search Console monthly is a reasonable cadence. After major site changes (permalink structure updates, content reorganization, plugin deactivation), run an immediate check to catch any new 404s before they affect visitors and search engine crawlers.