What a soft 404 is
A soft 404 happens when a missing or useless page returns a success response instead of a clear not-found, gone, or relevant redirect. Empty search results and removed tools can accidentally become soft 404s.
Better choices
- Redirect moved tools to the closest canonical replacement.
- Return a clean not-found page when there is no replacement.
- Use gone for removed pages when appropriate.
- Do not send deleted tools to empty search pages.
Common mistakes
Redirecting every missing URL to the homepage can look like a soft 404 and frustrate users. Make the destination meaningful.
FAQ
Should removed pages stay in sitemap.xml?
No. Keep only working canonical URLs in the sitemap.
Can empty searches be indexed?
Usually no. Empty or query-generated pages should normally be noindex.