Facing Error 404 Page Not Found on Your website? – Fix it Now

Have you ever been redirected to a page displaying a “404 pages not found” error? Have you ever thought about what error 404 actually means? This “HTTP error 404 page not found” indicates that the page or the website you are trying to reach could not be found on the server.

To avoid any confusion, you need to remember that the page you are trying to reach is unreachable, not the server.

The “404 page not found errors” are mostly customized by the websites itself. That page might have been deleted by the individual website or the URL you have entered might be incorrect or misspelled.

Different Ways by which 404 error is Displayed

There are some different ways by which the system indicates an HTTP 404 error:

1. HTTP 404
2. Error 404
3. 404 Error
4. 404 Not found
5. HTTP 404 not found
6. Error 404 not found
7. 404 Page not found
8. 404 File or Directory not found
9. The requested URL (URL address) was not found on this server

WordPress Server Error 404

You can notice custom 404 error pages not found in any particular browser including Google Chrome. They appear as normal web pages inside the browser window.

What Causes HTTP 404 Not Found Page Error?

Error 404 possibly happens from the client-side or might be just a typing mistake. The reasons behind 404 file or directory not found error are explained below:

1. There is a possibility that the website you are searching for might have removed the content or moved it to another URL.
2. Another reason might be the website content has been deleted by the client itself.
3. The server which is responsible for the website may not be working properly which could result in a broken connection.
4. The URL might not have been available anymore or deleted permanently by the client.
5. You might have entered the incorrect URL leading to a 404 error.
6. There could be a possibility that the operators haven’t managed their external links for a long time due to which the URL became a dead one.

Have a look at the steps mentioned in the guide below to fix this error without any hassle.

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Fix the Error 404 in a Few Easy Steps:

Following are some simple tips by which you can fix the error 404 page not found on your own:

Refresh is Always a Key:

There are chances when the server or the browser fails to show you the webpage that actually exists. So, if this might be the reason then refreshing your page once will solve your troublesome situation. Though this solution doesn’t work often but in some cases it has proven to be the easiest solution.

Recheck the URL:

There is a possibility that you might have made a minor mistake while typing the web link as it mostly gets unnoticed. If a 404 error message appears on your screen, do remember to check the web link again that you have entered.

Search through Keywords:

If you have properly checked the URL and it is still showing a 404 error, then you can take the help of keywords. Using relatable keywords can make you reach the webpage you are searching for. Once you reach the exact page, bookmark it to avoid the IIS 404 error in the future.

Clear the Internet Browser Cache

Sometimes the page with error gets cached in the browser, however, the actual website link might have been changed from the client’s side. Clearing the cache might help you to reach your desired web page in a few minutes.

Go through the Different Directory Levels:

Simply move from one directory level to another until you find the correct URL. For example, if you have typed www.sample.com/directory3/directory2/directory1 and error 404 page not found appears on the screen then you need to go to the previous level of the directory (www.sample.com/directory3/directory2).

This will help you to check if the webpage you are looking for is linked there.

Change the DNS Servers of Your System:

There is a possibility that the website is going through some temporary server issues which may result in error 404. In this type of situation, the only solution is to wait for the website to be available again.

Try to Contact the Website Owner:

If everything else fails, then the last option you are left with is to contact the website owner directly. Look for the contact information and discuss the issues you are facing with the website. They might be happy to hear from you and solve your query. 

Search for the Dead Links:

If nothing works out for you and you also failed to contact the website, then check for the URL on some tools including ATOMSEO and DeadLinkChecker.com.

Consequences of “Error 404 Not Found”

The HTTP 404 error may harm the reputation and ranking of the website on search engines including Google. If the server error 404 occurs on a particular web page regularly then it will have a negative impact on its reputation. Google will decrease its ranking in the SERP’s presuming that the site is not maintained properly by the client. If there are too many WordPress 404 errors then Google can even stop indexing its placement. 

All of this will lead to a substantial decrease in the number of visitors over that website. The visitors will lose their trust in the site that is full of broken links or if the landing page appears to be dead. 

The users don’t take so much trouble to continue their search for a particular webpage in case of experiencing “404 page not found error” regularly. Many users will think that the content they are looking for has been removed after searching for it once or twice.

So, it is very important for the website operators to maintain their site regularly and prevent it from HTTP 404 errors. There are numerous tools available that can help you to identify any broken links easily.