Hello, I need guidance on resolving an issue in Google Search Console.
It’s reporting some pages as Soft 404 errors, but when I inspect these URLs, they appear to be collection pages, subpages, or pagination pages. Why is Google Search Console flagging them as Soft 404s?
The website is built on Shopify. I’ve noticed that some pages, including those with filter or search parameters, are being incorrectly labeled as Soft 404s. How can I resolve this issue and address the affected URLs in Search Console?
Hope I explain the issue correctly
Soft 404 errors appear most often when there’s missing content, no content, or very little content on a page.
A simple fix is to – open up those pages and mark them as [noindex] so Google doesn’t treat them as 404s. As an alternative, you can use a 301 Redirect on the problematic pages.
Google may flag certain Shopify pages as “soft 404s” if they have little or no meaningful content, even though they return a valid “200 OK” status. This usually happens with pages that use filters, search parameters, or pagination that return empty results.
Common Causes:
- If no results are shown, Google sees the page as empty or low value.
Solution: Add a noindex meta tag or redirect to a relevant page if no products are found.
- Some collection or pagination pages may not have enough content when no results are available.
Solution: Add a message like “No products found” or include relevant recommendations even on empty pages.
- Pagination can sometimes lead to pages with no content, which Google may flag.
Solution: Check your pagination settings and use rel=“next” and rel=“prev” tags for clarity.
- If the pages are set to “noindex ” or return the wrong meta tags and HTTP headers, Google may consider them soft 404s.
Solution: Ensure proper meta tags and HTTP headers are set.
- Duplicate pages or pages with minimal content might also be flagged.
Solution: Use rel=“canonical” tags for duplicates or set noindex where needed.
How to Fix It in Google Search Console:
- Use the URL Inspection Tool to see if the page is returning the right status and content.
Implement the appropriate solution, like adding content, using redirects, or setting noindex tags.
- Once fixed, use the URL Inspection Tool to request reindexing.
- Once you address these issues, you can prevent soft 404 errors and ensure Google properly indexes your pages.
Let me know if you need more help. Also, if the answer is helpful, please like and accept it.
Hi @digitalsoftnox
The issue of Soft 404 errors usually appears when the related pages lack the following details:
Missing Server Side Inclusion (SSI) files
Connection to database broken
Empty internal search results page
Unloaded or missing JavaScript file
To resolve Soft 404 errors in Google Search Console, consider using 301 Redirection by redirecting these URLs to 301 URLs (Effective URLs). In this way, these errors will disappear when Google Search Console crawls your website page data in the next period.
Furthermore, you can utilize SEOAnt APP Broken Links feature regarding page URL redirection. It supports manual redirection creation and automatically redirects newly detected 404 links to the target links you have set. I personally here can provide you with a coupon SEOAnt 30% Jeffery. You can feel free to click here to install and enjoy a 30% discount for two months with a 7-day Free Trial included to fully experience our APP features and boost your website sales.
