How To Resolve 404 Error In WordPress: Are you facing a 404 error on your WordPress website? You are not alone! This error message is one of the most common issues encountered by website owners. It occurs when a user tries to access a page on your website that no longer exists, resulting in a broken link. This can be frustrating for visitors and damaging to your website’s SEO.

The good news is that resolving a 404 error in WordPress is not as complicated as it may seem. In this article, we’ll explain what causes the 404 error and provide you with solutions to fix it.

What is a 404 Error In WordPress?

A 404 error, also known as “Page Not Found,” is an HTTP response status code indicating that the server cannot find the requested page or resource. It can occur on any website, including WordPress sites.

A 404 error in WordPress is an HTTP status code that indicates that the requested URL cannot be found on the server. When a visitor attempts to access a page or resource on your website that no longer exists or has been moved to a different location, they’ll be directed to a 404 error page.

When a visitor encounters a 404 error on your WordPress website, it can be frustrating and confusing, and it can also negatively impact your website’s search engine rankings. That’s why it’s important to identify and fix 404 errors quickly to ensure that your visitors can easily access all the content on your website without encountering any dead ends.

By understanding what a 404 error is and what can cause it, you can take steps to prevent and resolve 404 errors on your WordPress website, ensuring a better user experience for your visitors.

What Causes 404 Errors in WordPress?

Several factors can cause 404 errors on your WordPress website, such as:

• Typos in the URL
• Changes in the permalink structure
• Broken links
• Server-related issues
• Malware or hacking attempts
• Use a Redirect Plugin

How to Check for 404 Errors?

To check for 404 errors on your website, you can use various tools, such as Google Search Console, Broken Link Checker, or Screaming Frog. These tools will help you identify the pages on your website that are returning a 404 error.

To check for 404 error in WordPress website, you can use a variety of tools and methods. Here are a few ways to check for 404 errors:

1. Use Google Search Console: Google Search Console is a free tool provided by Google that allows you to monitor your website’s performance in search results. It also provides information about crawl errors, including 404 errors. To check for 404 errors using Google Search Console, log in to your account and navigate to the “Coverage” report. Here, you’ll see a list of all crawl errors, including any 404 errors that have been detected.
2. Use a Broken Link Checker: As mentioned earlier, broken links can cause 404 errors on your website. To check for broken links, you can use a broken link checker tool like Dead Link Checker, Broken Link Checker, or W3C Link Checker. These tools will scan your website and provide you with a list of broken links that need to be fixed.
3. Manually Check URLs: You can also manually check URLs on your website to see if they’re working properly. To do this, simply navigate to each page on your website and click on all links to ensure that they’re directing visitors to the correct pages. If you encounter a 404 error, you’ll know that there’s an issue with that particular URL.

By regularly checking for 404 error in WordPress website, you can identify and fix issues quickly, ensuring that your visitors can access all the content on your site without encountering any dead ends.

How to Fix 404 Errors in WordPress?

Here are some solutions to fix the 404 errors on your WordPress website:

Check for Typos in URL

Sometimes, a 404 error in WordPress may occur due to typos in the URL. Check the URL of the page that is returning the error and ensure that there are no typos or spelling mistakes.

Another common cause of 404 errors in WordPress is typos in URLs. If a user types in an incorrect URL, or if there’s a typo in a link on your website, they may end up on a 404 error page.

To prevent typos from causing 404 errors, it’s important to check your website regularly for misspelled or incorrect URLs. You can do this by using a link checker plugin or by manually reviewing your website’s content and links.

If you find a typo in a URL, you can easily fix it by updating the link to the correct URL. You can also use a redirect plugin, as mentioned earlier, to redirect the misspelled URL to the correct URL.

It’s also a good idea to make sure that your website’s permalinks are set up correctly. Permalinks are the URLs that WordPress generates for your website’s pages and posts. By default, WordPress uses a permalink structure that includes the date and post ID, which can make your URLs long and difficult to read.

To set up more user-friendly permalinks, you can go to Settings > Permalinks in your WordPress dashboard and choose a different permalink structure. For example, you could choose the “Post name” option, which will generate URLs based on the title of your pages and posts.

By checking for typos in URLs and ensuring that your permalinks are set up correctly, you can prevent 404 errors caused by misspelled or incorrect URLs.

Check Your Permalink Settings

The permalink structure of your website may also cause 404 errors. To check your permalink settings, go to Settings > Permalinks in your WordPress dashboard. Ensure that the correct structure is selected.

One common cause of 404 error in WordPress is incorrect permalink settings. Permalinks are the URLs that WordPress generates for your website’s pages and posts. By default, WordPress uses a permalink structure that includes the date and post ID, which can make your URLs long and difficult to read.

To check your permalink settings and ensure that they’re set up correctly, you can go to Settings > Permalinks in your WordPress dashboard. Here, you’ll see several options for setting up your permalinks, including:

• Plain: This option generates URLs that use the default format (e.g., http://www.example.com/?p=123).
• Day and name: This option includes the date and name of the post in the URL (e.g., http://www.example.com/2021/02/20/sample-post/).
• Month and name: This option includes the month and name of the post in the URL (e.g., http://www.example.com/2021/02/sample-post/).
• Numeric: This option generates URLs based on the post ID (e.g., http://www.example.com/archives/123).
• Post name: This option generates URLs based on the title of the post (e.g., http://www.example.com/sample-post/).

To ensure that your permalinks are set up correctly, you should choose a permalink structure that is user-friendly and easy to read. The “Post name” option is a popular choice as it generates URLs based on the title of your pages and posts.

Once you’ve selected your preferred permalink structure, be sure to click the “Save Changes” button to apply the changes to your website. This will update all of the permalinks on your website and ensure that they’re set up correctly.

By checking your permalink settings and ensuring that they’re set up correctly, you can prevent 404 errors caused by incorrect URLs and improve the user experience on your website.

Re-save Your Permalinks

If your permalink structure is correct, try re-saving your permalink settings. This will refresh your website’s permalink structure and may fix the 404 error in WordPress.

If you’ve recently made changes to your permalink settings in WordPress and are experiencing 404 errors, it’s possible that your permalinks need to be re-saved. This is a simple process that can be done in just a few clicks.

To re-save your permalinks, go to Settings > Permalinks in your WordPress dashboard. Here, you’ll see your current permalink settings. You don’t need to make any changes to your settings, but you do need to click the “Save Changes” button at the bottom of the page.

When you click the “Save Changes” button, WordPress will update your permalinks and ensure that they’re set up correctly. This can sometimes fix 404 errors that are caused by incorrect or outdated permalink settings.

After you’ve re-saved your permalinks, be sure to test your website to ensure that the 404 errors have been resolved. If you’re still experiencing 404 error in WordPress, you may need to try one of the other solutions mentioned earlier in this article.

By re-saving your permalinks, you can ensure that your website’s URLs are set up correctly and prevent 404 errors caused by outdated permalink settings.

Use a Redirect Plugin

If the above solutions don’t work, you can use a redirect plugin to redirect the broken links to the correct pages. Some popular redirect plugins are Redirection, Simple 301 Redirects, and Yoast SEO.

One of the easiest ways to resolve 404 error in WordPress is by using a redirect plugin. A redirect plugin can help you redirect broken links to the correct pages on your website, improving the user experience and preventing 404 errors.

There are many redirect plugins available for WordPress, including the popular Redirection plugin and the Simple 301 Redirects plugin. These plugins allow you to set up redirects quickly and easily, without having to manually edit your website’s .htaccess file.

To use a redirect plugin, first, you’ll need to install and activate the plugin on your WordPress site. Once the plugin is active, you can access its settings and begin setting up redirects.

Most redirect plugins allow you to set up redirects using either a source URL or a source keyword. For example, you can set up a redirect for a broken link that looks like this:

Source URL: https://www.example.com/old-page/ Target URL: https://www.example.com/new-page/

Alternatively, you can set up a redirect using a source keyword, like this:

Source URL: https://www.example.com/category/old-post/ Target URL: https://www.example.com/category/new-post/

In either case, the redirect plugin will automatically redirect users who try to access the old URL to the new URL, preventing a 404 error.

In addition to setting up redirects for individual broken links, you can also use a redirect plugin to redirect entire categories or post types. This can be helpful if you’ve restructured your website and want to redirect all of your old content to new pages.

Overall, using a redirect plugin is a simple and effective way to prevent 404 error in WordPress . By redirecting broken links to the correct pages, you can improve the user experience and ensure that your website is running smoothly.

Fix Broken Links

Broken links can also cause 404 errors. Use a broken link checker tool to identify the broken links on your website and fix them.

Broken links can also cause 404 error in WordPress. A broken link is a link that points to a page or resource that no longer exists or has been moved to a different URL. When a visitor clicks on a broken link, they’ll be directed to a 404 error page.

To fix broken links on your website, you can use a link checker plugin or a broken link checker tool. These tools will scan your website for broken links and provide you with a list of links that need to be fixed.

Once you’ve identified the broken links on your website, you can take one of the following actions:

• Update the link: If the resource still exists but has been moved to a different URL, you can update the link to point to the new URL.
• Remove the link: If the resource no longer exists or cannot be found, you can remove the link altogether.
• Redirect the link: If the resource has been moved to a new URL, you can set up a redirect to automatically send visitors to the new URL when they click on the old link.

To update or remove links, you can edit the content of your website directly. If you need to set up a redirect, you can use a redirect plugin like the one mentioned earlier in this article.

By fixing broken links on your website, you can prevent 404 errors and ensure that visitors can easily navigate your website without encountering any dead ends.

Contact Your Hosting Provider

If none of the above solutions work, it’s possible that the 404 error is caused by server-related issues. Contact your hosting provider and ask them to investigate the issue.

If you’ve tried all of the previous methods for resolving 404 error in WordPress and are still experiencing issues, it may be time to contact your hosting provider. Your hosting provider can help you identify and resolve any server-related issues that may be causing the 404 errors on your website.

When you contact your hosting provider, be sure to provide them with as much information as possible about the issue you’re experiencing. This may include:

• The URL or URLs that are returning a 404 error i WordPress
• The steps you’ve already taken to try to resolve the issue
• Any error messages or other information that you’ve received

Your hosting provider may be able to identify and resolve the issue quickly, or they may need to work with you to troubleshoot the issue further. In either case, it’s important to stay in communication with your hosting provider to ensure that the issue is resolved as quickly as possible.

By working with your hosting provider to resolve 404 error in WordPress, you can ensure that your website is running smoothly and that your visitors can easily access all the content on your site without encountering any dead ends.

FAQs On How To Resolve 404 Error In WordPress

Q1. What is the impact of 404 errors on SEO?

A1. 404 errors can negatively impact your website’s SEO as they signal to search engines that there are broken links and pages on your site that are not functioning correctly. This can lead to a decrease in search engine rankings and traffic to your website.

Q2. How can I prevent 404 errors on my WordPress site?

A2. You can prevent 404 errors on your WordPress site by regularly checking your website for broken links and fixing them promptly. You can also use a redirect plugin to redirect broken links to the correct pages and ensure that your permalink structure is correct.

Q3. Can plugins cause 404 error In WordPress site?

A3. Yes, plugins can cause 404 error in WordPress site if they conflict with other plugins or if they are not updated regularly. It’s important to keep your plugins updated and to only install reputable plugins from trusted sources.

Conclusion:

404 error in WordPress can be frustrating and damaging to your website’s SEO. However, with the solutions we’ve provided in this article, you can quickly identify and fix the root cause of the problem. Remember to regularly check your website for broken links, ensure that your permalink structure is correct, and use redirect plugins to fix broken links. By following these steps, you can prevent 404 errors and ensure that your website is running smoothly. This is one of the most common WordPress Error

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