Do 404 Errors Hurt SEO?

Q: Do 404 Errors Hurt SEO?

Yes, excessive 404 errors can hurt SEO by wasting crawl budget and damaging user experience. 404 errors can cause search engines to waste crawl budget and reduce user engagement, especially if key pages or backlinks are affected. While some 404s are normal, using a conversion-focused 404 Capture can help reduce bounce and retain users even when a page is missing.

Published on June 13, 2025; Updated on July 10, 2025

404 errors can cause search engines to waste crawl budget and reduce user engagement, especially if key pages or backlinks are affected. While some 404s are normal, using a conversion-focused 404 Capture can help reduce bounce and retain users even when a page is missing.

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How Can I Check for 404 Errors?

Use Google Search Console, Screaming Frog, or Google Analytics to find and analyse 404 errors.