We’ve all been there before. We click a link to an article we want to read or to a page we want to visit and find this dreaded message: 404 The page could not be found. While it may be an inconvenience to users, there are far greater effects and downsides to having a lot of 404 errors on your website, especially when it comes to the SEO on your site.

Maintaining proper site health and site structure is the key to any strong SEO campaign. If your website recently moved to a new platform, or if your site has a lot of dead links and 404 errors, it’s important to put 301 redirects into place. It’s important to know what 301 redirects are, when/how they should be implemented, and what it all means for your SEO.

First, what is a 301 redirect and why is it so important for your website? During any website’s life, pages will be removed, deleted, or outlive their usefulness for a variety of reasons. When a page is removed, the website will display a 404 error when a user tries to access that page. Think of it as a detour for users. The original path is no longer available so we want to give users a new/different path to reach the same destination.

Accruing a lot of these errors can raise a lot of red flags with search algorithms, most notably Google. 404 errors can be seen as red flags because search engines may interpret these dead links as fraudulent methods of bringing people to your site and/or they can be seen as the sign of a poorly functioning/maintained site that’s not providing users value.

These red flags can turn into penalties and your website can be pushed down Page One or off of Page One if not addressed properly. Having a concise and easy to follow site structure helps Google and other search engines crawl your website and gather information that will help determine what your site is and how it should be ranked.

This is where a 301 redirect comes in handy. Simply put, a 301 redirect is exactly what it sounds like. It creates a pathway for a dead link to redirect to a live page on your site. For example, car dealer sites host hundreds of vehicle detail pages at a given time. When a specific car is bought or off the lot, the corresponding vehicle detail page is removed, creating a 404 error page. With the 301 redirect, that URL can automatically redirect to a different page, like the inventory page or to a similar VDP.

The 301 redirect works in two ways. First, if a user were to type in that previously dead URL or click through to that dead link, they will be automatically redirected to the page you have set up for the redirect. Second, it identifies the location of the new page. Google itself says this is the best course of action to ensure that users and search engines are pointed to the correct page.

How can you keep track of your 404 errors and how can 301 redirects be put in? The best way to monitor your crawl errors/404 errors is to track them through Google Search Console. In Search Console, you can track which pages are returning a 404 error and you can download the list of links that are showing a 404 error. From here, you can work with your website developer/website platform to put in place 301 redirects that redirect to a similar page.

Staying on top of any rise in 404 errors and/or preplanning for a website overhaul or platform change can help you stay ahead of the game, keep search engines happy, and keep your website running efficiently for users.