{"id":13911,"date":"2025-01-16T10:54:45","date_gmt":"2025-01-16T15:54:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/webguide\/?page_id=13911"},"modified":"2025-02-04T15:33:55","modified_gmt":"2025-02-04T20:33:55","slug":"understanding-and-resolving-404-errors","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/webguide\/userguide\/understanding-and-resolving-404-errors\/","title":{"rendered":"Understanding and Resolving 404 Errors"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2>What Are 404 Errors?<\/h2>\n<p>A 404 error occurs when someone tries to visit a webpage that doesn\u2019t exist. This could happen if the URL was typed incorrectly, the page has been moved or deleted, or there is a broken link directing users to the missing page or content. These errors are frustrating for users and can negatively impact the credibility and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/webguide\/accessibility\/accessibility-and-seo\/\">search rankings of your website<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2>Why Do 404 Errors Happen?<\/h2>\n<p>Common causes of 404 errors include:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>A page\/file has been deleted or moved without updating the internal or external links.<\/li>\n<li>The user made a typo when putting in the URL.<\/li>\n<li>Outdated links are still being indexed in search engines<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Why Is It Important to Fix 404 Errors?<\/h2>\n<p>Fixing 404 errors is crucial for improving the user experience and maintaining the integrity of your site. Persistent errors can:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Frustrate users, leading to reduced engagement and trust.<\/li>\n<li>Hurt your website\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/webguide\/accessibility\/accessibility-and-seo\/\">search engine optimization (SEO)<\/a> as search engines view broken links negatively.<\/li>\n<li>Waste the opportunity to guide users to relevant content.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>How to Identify 404 Errors<\/h2>\n<div class=\"row  oscitas-bootstrap-container\">\n<div class=\"col-lg-6 col-md-12 col-xs-12 col-sm-12 oscitas-bootstrap-container\">\nThe Web Team has created a <a href=\"https:\/\/lookerstudio.google.com\/reporting\/0ddb5872-6096-4f53-b5cd-5fa20426a51e\">Looker Studio report<\/a> that uses real data from the network\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/webguide\/userguide\/google-analytics\/\">Google Analytics<\/a> to help you identify 404 errors. The report highlights URLs that users attempted to visit but resulted in a &#8220;Not Found&#8221; page. You can filter the data by your specific site, date range (up to 14 months), and other dimensions to find actionable insights. Understanding where and why these errors occur is the first step toward resolving them.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/lookerstudio.google.com\/reporting\/0ddb5872-6096-4f53-b5cd-5fa20426a51e\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">View the Report in a new tab<\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"col-lg-6 col-md-12 col-xs-12 col-sm-12 oscitas-bootstrap-container\">\n\n<!-- iframe plugin v.5.2 wordpress.org\/plugins\/iframe\/ -->\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"600\" height=\"350\" src=\"https:\/\/lookerstudio.google.com\/embed\/reporting\/0ddb5872-6096-4f53-b5cd-5fa20426a51e\/page\/p_wtr6z973id\" frameborder=\"0\" style=\"border:0\" 0=\"allowfullscreen\" sandbox=\"allow-storage-access-by-user-activation allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox\" scrolling=\"yes\" class=\"iframe-class\"><\/iframe>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h2>How to Fix 404 Errors<\/h2>\n<h3>Use the Looker Studio Report<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Identify problematic URLs under the <strong>Page URL<\/strong> column. These are the pages users tried to access.<\/li>\n<li>Check the <strong>Page Referrer<\/strong> column to see where users were coming from (e.g., another site, Google, or a direct entry).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>How to Address Issues Based on the Page Referrer<\/h3>\n<p><strong>If Google is the Page Referrer:<\/strong> Bundle any other URLs you\u2019d like to address and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/webguide\/getting-help\/\">notify the web team<\/a>. We can assist with removing outdated links from Google\u2019s index. Please keep in mind that if the old URL is still used in content on your website (including documents in your media library), it is only a matter of time before this URL becomes searchable again.<\/p>\n<p><strong>If the Page Referrer is a non-ºÚÁÏÍø controlled website:<\/strong> Reach out to the external source to request an update to the incorrect link.<\/p>\n<p><strong>If the Page Referrer is a page on your own website:<\/strong> Locate and update the broken links leading to the 404 error.<\/p>\n<p><strong>If the Page Referrer is a page on a ºÚÁÏÍø-controlled website you don\u2019t manage:<\/strong> Contact the web admin of that site to request the URL update. If you\u2019re unsure who to contact, the web team can help identify the correct web admin.<\/p>\n<p><strong>If the Page Referrer is (direct) \/ (none): <\/strong>When the page referrer is marked as &#8220;(direct) \/ (none)&#8221; in analytics, it means there is no recorded referrer for the URL. This typically occurs when the page was accessed in one of the following ways:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>Saved Bookmarks: A user has bookmarked the incorrect or outdated URL and accessed it directly from their browser\u2019s bookmarks.<\/li>\n<li>Manually Typed URLs: A user typed the URL into their browser\u2019s address bar, possibly including a typo or using an outdated URL they had saved or remembered.<\/li>\n<li>Old QR Codes or Short Links: A user used a QR code or short link that points to an outdated or incorrect URL. This is especially common if QR codes were printed or shared widely.<\/li>\n<li>Shared Directly: A user accessed the URL from a direct share, such as an email, text message, or physical handout, where the URL was mistyped or outdated.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<h3>Redirects and the &#8220;Page Links To&#8221; Feature: Why Fixing is Always Better<\/h3>\n<p>We offer a WordPress Plugin that creates a mechanism called the <strong>&#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/webguide\/userguide\/plugins\/page-links-to-plugin\/\">Page Links To<\/a>.&#8221;<\/strong> This will allow authors or editors to create a page or post and then forward it to a different URL. While this tool is easy to implement and can act as a simple redirect, we strongly recommend avoiding this practice for the following reasons:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>Keeps &#8220;Old&#8221; or &#8220;Bad&#8221; URLs Active in the Sitemap\n<ul>\n<li>When the &#8220;Page Links To&#8221; feature is used, the original URL remains indexed in the sitemap and can still be crawled by search engines like Google.<\/li>\n<li>This perpetuates the issue by allowing the &#8220;old&#8221; or incorrect URL to remain &#8220;alive&#8221; and searchable, instead of properly resolving the problem.<\/li>\n<li>Search engines may prioritize this older URL in their index, leading to user confusion and negatively impacting SEO performance.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>Does Not Resolve the Underlying Issue\n<ul>\n<li>Using &#8220;Page Links To&#8221; is a patch, not a fix. It doesn\u2019t address the source of the problem, such as:<\/li>\n<li>Updating broken internal or external links.<\/li>\n<li>Correcting improperly configured site navigation or menus.<\/li>\n<li>Ensuring outdated URLs are replaced with accurate ones in external resources.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>Creates Management Challenges\n<ul>\n<li>Relying on the &#8220;Page Links To&#8221; feature can lead to confusion for future content managers or editors.<\/li>\n<li>Over time, the presence of multiple &#8220;patched&#8221; redirects can clutter the site structure and complicate updates or site migrations.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>Potential for User Experience Issues\n<ul>\n<li>If users visit the &#8220;old&#8221; URL before being redirected, they may encounter slower loading times or notice unexpected behavior (like when on a weak internet signal).<\/li>\n<li>Inconsistent use of redirects can degrade the overall trustworthiness and reliability of the website.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>What Are 404 Errors? A 404 error occurs when someone tries to visit a webpage that doesn\u2019t exist. This could happen if the URL was typed incorrectly, the page has been moved or deleted, or there is a broken link directing users to the missing page or content. These errors are frustrating for users and &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/webguide\/userguide\/understanding-and-resolving-404-errors\/\" aria-label=\"Read more about Understanding and Resolving 404 Errors\">Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":79967,"featured_media":0,"parent":2168,"menu_order":98,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"layout":"","cellInformation":"","apiCallInformation":"","footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"class_list":["post-13911","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry","odd"],"acf":[],"_links_to":[],"_links_to_target":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/webguide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/13911","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/webguide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/webguide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/webguide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/79967"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/webguide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13911"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/webguide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/13911\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":14018,"href":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/webguide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/13911\/revisions\/14018"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/webguide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2168"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/webguide\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13911"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}