Soft 404s
Pages that return a 200 status but contain no real content, confusing crawlers.
What it is
A soft 404 is a page that returns a "success" (200) code but shows an empty, "no results", or error-style page. Google detects this and may treat it like a real 404 — or worse, index thin junk.
Why it matters
Soft 404s waste crawl budget, signal low quality, and can pull down the perceived value of surrounding pages. They often hide in search filters and empty category pages.
How to fix it
Return a real 404 status for empty result pages, or populate them with useful default content. Monitor Search Console's Coverage report for "soft 404" alerts.
What our AI checks
Our engine flags pages with very low impressions and clicks that may be soft 404s and recommends fixing their status or content.
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