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Website errors cost businesses an average of $137 to $427 per minute of downtime. For small businesses, a single hour of website issues can result in thousands in lost revenue. Yet most website owners remain unaware of critical errors affecting their site's performance, user experience, and search rankings until it's too late.
Whether you're managing an e-commerce store, a corporate website, or a personal blog, understanding how to systematically check for and resolve website errors is essential for maintaining a healthy, high-performing online presence.
This comprehensive guide will walk you through everything you need to know about website error checking—from identifying different error types to using professional tools like Lookkle's Website Scan to maintain a flawless website.
Why Website Error Checking Matters
The Real Cost of Website Errors
Website errors aren't just technical inconveniences—they directly impact your bottom line and brand reputation.
User Experience Impact:
- 89% of customers switch to competitors after a poor website experience
- 53% of mobile users abandon sites that take longer than 3 seconds to load
- 88% of online consumers are less likely to return after a bad experience
- Users form opinions about your brand within 0.05 seconds of landing on your site
Business Revenue Impact:
- Small businesses lose $137-$427 per minute during website downtime
- E-commerce sites can lose $5,600 per minute during peak shopping periods
- Poor website performance costs businesses $4.7 billion annually according to Qualtrics research
- Every 1-second delay in page load time reduces conversions by 7%
SEO and Search Rankings:
- Broken links and 404 errors signal poor site maintenance to Google
- Slow page speeds directly impact Core Web Vitals scores
- Technical errors can prevent search engine crawlers from indexing content
- Mobile usability issues result in lower mobile search rankings
- Sites with frequent downtime can lose search visibility permanently
Brand Credibility: Users encountering errors on their first visit experience the "halo effect"—if they find issues, they question the entire brand's reliability. A study for a moving company recorded a user's response to finding a typo: "If they are this careless on their website, how can I trust them to move my furniture?"
What Happens When You Don't Check for Errors
The Cascading Effect:
- Week 1: A plugin update breaks a contact form—no one notices
- Week 2: 150+ potential customers attempt contact and fail
- Week 3: Bounce rate increases by 35%, Google notices
- Week 4: Search rankings drop for key pages
- Month 2: Revenue down 20%, brand reputation damaged
- Month 3: Competitors capture your market share
This scenario plays out daily across thousands of websites. The solution? Systematic, regular error checking using the right tools and methodologies.
Types of Website Errors You Must Monitor
Understanding the different categories of errors helps you prioritize fixes and implement appropriate monitoring strategies.
1. HTTP Status Code Errors
HTTP errors are server responses indicating that something went wrong with the request.
400-Level Errors (Client-Side Issues)
400 Bad Request:
- What it means: The server cannot process the request due to invalid syntax
- Common causes: Corrupted browser cache, malformed URL parameters, oversized cookies
- User impact: Cannot access specific pages or features
- SEO impact: Low—typically doesn't affect crawling if isolated
401 Unauthorized:
- What it means: Authentication is required and has failed or not been provided
- Common causes: Incorrect login credentials, expired sessions, misconfigured access controls
- User impact: Cannot access protected content
- SEO impact: None if properly implemented for private areas
403 Forbidden:
- What it means: Server understands the request but refuses to authorize it
- Common causes: Incorrect file permissions, IP blocking, misconfigured .htaccess
- User impact: Total access denial to specific resources
- SEO impact: High—Google cannot crawl blocked content
404 Not Found:
- What it means: The requested resource doesn't exist on the server
- Common causes: Deleted pages, changed URLs without redirects, typos in links
- User impact: Dead ends that frustrate users and increase bounce rate
- SEO impact: High—broken internal links dilute PageRank flow, broken external links damage user experience
408 Request Timeout:
- What it means: Server didn't receive complete request within time limit
- Common causes: Slow internet connection, server overload, large file transfers
- User impact: Pages fail to load completely
- SEO impact: Moderate—repeated timeouts suggest server issues
500-Level Errors (Server-Side Issues)
500 Internal Server Error:
- What it means: Generic server error when no specific error applies
- Common causes: PHP errors, database connection failures, corrupted .htaccess, plugin conflicts
- User impact: Complete inability to access affected pages
- SEO impact: Critical—indicates serious technical problems
502 Bad Gateway:
- What it means: Server acting as gateway received invalid response from upstream server
- Common causes: Server overload, network issues, faulty proxy configuration
- User impact: Service unavailability
- SEO impact: High—suggests infrastructure problems
503 Service Unavailable:
- What it means: Server temporarily cannot handle requests
- Common causes: Maintenance mode, server overload, DDoS attacks
- User impact: Complete site inaccessibility
- SEO impact: Moderate if temporary with proper maintenance headers
504 Gateway Timeout:
- What it means: Gateway server didn't receive timely response from upstream server
- Common causes: Server overload, database query timeouts, slow third-party API calls
- User impact: Slow or failing page loads
- SEO impact: Moderate—suggests performance issues
2. Broken Links and Redirects
Internal Broken Links:
- Links within your website pointing to non-existent pages
- Impact: Damages user navigation and wastes link equity
- Detection: Regular crawling with tools like Lookkle's Website Scan
External Broken Links:
- Links to external websites that no longer exist
- Impact: Poor user experience, suggests outdated content
- Detection: Periodic external link validation
Redirect Chains:
- Multiple redirects (A → B → C → D) before reaching final destination
- Impact: Slows page load time, wastes crawl budget
- Best practice: Maximum 1-2 redirects in any chain
Redirect Loops:
- Page A redirects to Page B, which redirects back to Page A
- Impact: Infinite loop that crashes browsers
- Detection: Crawl tools immediately identify these
3. Performance Errors
Page Speed Issues:
- Slow Server Response Time: Over 200ms time to first byte (TTFB)
- Unoptimized Images: Large file sizes not compressed or in modern formats
- Render-Blocking Resources: JavaScript and CSS blocking initial page render
- Lack of Browser Caching: Forcing repeat downloads of static resources
Core Web Vitals Problems:
- Largest Contentful Paint (LCP): Should be under 2.5 seconds
- First Input Delay (FID): Should be under 100 milliseconds
- Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS): Should be under 0.1
Tools like Lookkle's Page Speed Analyzer identify performance bottlenecks affecting user experience and rankings.
4. Mobile Responsiveness Errors
Layout Breaking on Mobile:
- Content extends beyond viewport
- Text too small to read
- Buttons too small to tap
- Touch elements too close together
Mobile-Specific Functionality Issues:
- Phone numbers not clickable
- Forms unusable on small screens
- Navigation menus not working
- Pop-ups blocking content
With mobile traffic exceeding 60% for most websites, mobile errors are critical priority issues.
5. SEO Technical Errors
Indexing Issues:
- Pages blocked by robots.txt unintentionally
- Missing or incorrect noindex tags
- Duplicate content without proper canonicalization
- Missing XML sitemap or sitemap errors
On-Page SEO Errors:
- Missing title tags or meta descriptions
- Duplicate title tags across pages
- Missing or multiple H1 tags
- Poor heading hierarchy
- Missing alt text on images
Structured Data Errors:
- Invalid schema markup syntax
- Missing required properties
- Deprecated schema types
- Mismatched schema implementation
Use Lookkle's SEO Content Analyzer to identify and fix on-page optimization issues.
6. Security Errors
SSL/TLS Certificate Issues:
- Expired SSL certificates
- Mixed content warnings (HTTP resources on HTTPS pages)
- Weak encryption protocols
- Certificate domain mismatches
Vulnerability Exposures:
- Outdated CMS versions
- Vulnerable plugins or themes
- Exposed sensitive files (.env, config files)
- SQL injection vulnerabilities
- Cross-site scripting (XSS) risks
7. Functionality and JavaScript Errors
Form Errors:
- Non-functioning contact forms
- Validation errors preventing submission
- Failed CAPTCHA integrations
- Email delivery failures
JavaScript Errors:
- Uncaught exceptions breaking functionality
- Console errors affecting user interactions
- Failed AJAX requests
- Missing or outdated JavaScript libraries
Interactive Element Failures:
- Broken shopping carts
- Non-functional search features
- Malfunctioning image galleries
- Failed video embeds
8. Content and User Experience Errors
Visual and Formatting Issues:
- Broken layouts and misaligned elements
- Missing or broken images
- Incorrect font rendering
- Color contrast accessibility violations
Content Errors:
- Spelling and grammatical mistakes
- Outdated information
- Broken embedded media (videos, maps)
- Missing or placeholder content in production
How to Check Website Errors: Step-by-Step Methods
Method 1: Manual Visual Inspection
Why it matters: Some errors only become apparent through human observation and cannot be detected by automated tools.
What to check:
- Browse Every Major Page:
- Homepage
- Key landing pages
- Product/service pages
- Contact and about pages
- Blog posts and resources
- Test All Interactive Elements:
- Click every button and link
- Submit all forms (use test data)
- Try search functionality
- Test shopping cart and checkout processes
- Play videos and verify media loads
- Check Visual Consistency:
- Layout alignment and spacing
- Font rendering and sizes
- Image quality and positioning
- Color scheme consistency
- Responsive behavior at different screen sizes
- Verify Content Accuracy:
- Current dates and information
- Contact information correctness
- Pricing accuracy
- Legal notices (privacy policy, terms)
- Copyright dates
Testing checklist:
- Desktop view (1920x1080, 1366x768)
- Tablet view (768x1024)
- Mobile view (375x667, 414x896)
- Different browsers (Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge)
- Different operating systems (Windows, macOS, iOS, Android)
Method 2: Browser Developer Console Inspection
Access developer tools:
- Chrome/Edge: Press F12 or Ctrl+Shift+I (Cmd+Option+I on Mac)
- Firefox: Press F12 or Ctrl+Shift+I (Cmd+Option+I on Mac)
- Safari: Enable Developer menu in Preferences, then Cmd+Option+I
What to look for in the Console tab:
JavaScript Errors (Red):
Uncaught TypeError: Cannot read property 'value' of null
at script.js:42
Indicates broken JavaScript functionality.
Warnings (Yellow):
[Deprecation] Synchronous XMLHttpRequest on the main thread is deprecated
Suggests code that may break in future browser versions.
Network Errors:
Failed to load resource: the server responded with a status of 404 (Not Found)
Shows missing assets or broken external resources.
What to look for in the Network tab:
- Status Codes: Filter by failed requests (4xx, 5xx errors)
- Load Times: Identify slow-loading resources
- File Sizes: Find oversized images or scripts
- Waterfall View: Analyze request sequences and bottlenecks
What to look for in the Lighthouse tab:
Run Lighthouse audits for:
- Performance scores
- Accessibility issues
- Best practices violations
- SEO problems
- Progressive Web App readiness
Method 3: Google Search Console Analysis
Google Search Console provides direct insights into how Google sees your website and identifies critical errors.
Coverage Report Analysis:
- Navigate to: Search Console → Index → Pages
- Review sections:
- Error: Pages Google couldn't index (critical)
- Valid with warnings: Indexed but with issues (moderate priority)
- Excluded: Intentionally not indexed (verify these are correct)
- Valid: Successfully indexed pages
Common Coverage Errors:
Server Error (5xx):
- Indicates server problems preventing crawling
- Action: Investigate server logs, check hosting resources
Redirect Error:
- Redirect chains or loops detected
- Action: Simplify redirect paths, fix loops
Submitted URL Not Found (404):
- Sitemap contains URLs that return 404
- Action: Remove from sitemap or restore content
Soft 404:
- Page returns 200 but contains little/no content
- Action: Add substantial content or properly 404 the page
Page Indexing Report:
Check "Not found (404)" section for:
- Broken internal links
- Deleted pages still being referenced
- External backlinks pointing to non-existent pages
Mobile Usability Report:
Identifies mobile-specific issues:
- Content wider than screen
- Text too small to read
- Clickable elements too close
- Mobile viewport not set
Core Web Vitals Report:
Track performance metrics:
- Poor, needs improvement, good URLs
- Issues by URL group
- Mobile vs desktop performance
Method 4: Automated Website Scanning
Professional website scanning tools provide comprehensive error detection that would take hours manually.
What automated scanners detect:
- Technical SEO Issues:
- Missing meta tags
- Duplicate content
- Broken links
- Redirect problems
- Sitemap errors
- Performance Problems:
- Slow-loading pages
- Oversized images
- Uncompressed resources
- Caching issues
- Accessibility Violations:
- Missing alt text
- Poor color contrast
- Keyboard navigation issues
- Screen reader incompatibilities
- Security Concerns:
- Mixed content warnings
- Outdated software versions
- Exposed sensitive information
Recommended scanning frequency:
- Daily: Critical e-commerce sites
- Weekly: Business websites with frequent updates
- Monthly: Informational sites with static content
- After any changes: Theme updates, plugin installations, content migrations
Method 5: Broken Link Checking
Broken links damage user experience and SEO—regular checking is essential.
Google Search Console Method:
- Navigate to Indexing → Pages
- Select "Not found (404)" section
- Export the list of broken URLs
- For each URL, check:
- Which pages link to it
- Whether the page should exist (restore) or redirect
Third-Party Tool Method:
Use specialized broken link checkers that:
- Crawl entire website systematically
- Identify both internal and external broken links
- Show which pages contain the broken links
- Provide HTTP status codes for each link
- Generate exportable reports
Manual Broken Link Investigation:
When you find a broken link:
- Right-click the link → Inspect element
- Check the URL for obvious typos
- Verify the target page:
- Was it deleted?
- Was the URL changed?
- Is it temporarily down?
- Identify linking pages:
- Use:
site:yoursite.com "broken-url"in Google - Or use Lookkle's backlink analyzer
- Use:
- Choose appropriate fix:
- Fix typo in URL
- Redirect to correct page (301)
- Update link to current URL
- Remove link if no alternative exists
Method 6: Page Speed and Performance Testing
Website speed directly impacts user experience, conversions, and SEO rankings.
Testing with Google PageSpeed Insights:
- Visit PageSpeed Insights
- Enter your URL
- Review both mobile and desktop scores
- Analyze:
- Core Web Vitals (LCP, FID, CLS)
- Performance score (0-100)
- Opportunities (potential improvements)
- Diagnostics (additional information)
Key Performance Metrics:
Load Time Targets:
- Time to First Byte (TTFB): < 200ms
- First Contentful Paint (FCP): < 1.8s
- Largest Contentful Paint (LCP): < 2.5s
- Total Page Load: < 3s
Performance Bottlenecks to Check:
- Server Response Time:
- Test with Lookkle's Speed Test
- Check hosting resources (CPU, RAM)
- Evaluate database query efficiency
- Image Optimization:
- File sizes (should be <200KB for most images)
- Format (WebP preferred over JPEG/PNG)
- Dimensions (should match display size)
- Lazy loading implementation
- JavaScript and CSS:
- Minification status
- Concatenation opportunities
- Render-blocking resources
- Unused code removal
- Caching Configuration:
- Browser caching headers
- CDN implementation
- Server-side caching
- Database query caching
Method 7: Mobile Responsiveness Testing
With mobile traffic dominating, mobile errors are critical business issues.
Google Mobile-Friendly Test:
- Visit Mobile-Friendly Test
- Enter your URL
- Review results for:
- Page load issues
- Mobile usability problems
- Specific error descriptions
Manual Mobile Testing:
Use Browser DevTools:
- Open developer tools (F12)
- Click device toolbar icon (Ctrl+Shift+M)
- Test various device presets:
- iPhone 12/13/14 Pro (390x844)
- iPhone SE (375x667)
- Samsung Galaxy S21 (360x800)
- iPad (768x1024)
Physical Device Testing:
Nothing replaces testing on actual devices:
- Borrow devices from team members
- Use device testing labs
- Check with friends/family
- Visit mobile carrier stores
What to verify on mobile:
- Touch targets are at least 48x48 pixels
- Text is readable without zooming (16px minimum)
- No horizontal scrolling required
- Forms are usable with mobile keyboards
- Navigation menu functions properly
- Images scale appropriately
- Pop-ups don't block content permanently
- Videos play inline without forcing full-screen
Method 8: Security and SSL Certificate Verification
Security errors can destroy user trust and tank search rankings.
SSL Certificate Checking:
Visual Browser Check:
- Look for padlock icon in address bar
- Click padlock for certificate details
- Verify certificate validity dates
- Confirm certificate matches domain
Automated SSL Checkers:
- SSL Labs SSL Test
- Grades SSL configuration (A+ to F)
- Identifies protocol vulnerabilities
- Checks certificate chain
Mixed Content Detection:
Mixed content occurs when HTTPS pages load HTTP resources.
How to find mixed content:
- Open page in Chrome
- Open DevTools Console
- Look for warnings: "Mixed Content: The page at..."
- Identify HTTP resources loaded on HTTPS pages
How to fix mixed content:
- Update resource URLs from HTTP to HTTPS
- Use protocol-relative URLs (//)
- Implement Content Security Policy headers
Security Vulnerability Scanning:
Regular security scans detect:
- Outdated CMS versions
- Vulnerable plugins/themes
- Exposed sensitive files
- SQL injection points
- XSS vulnerabilities
- Malware infections
Essential Tools for Error Detection
Free Essential Tools
1. Google Search Console
- Best for: SEO errors, indexing issues, mobile problems
- Key features: Coverage reports, performance data, mobile usability
- Cost: Free
- Setup time: 5-10 minutes
2. Google PageSpeed Insights
- Best for: Performance optimization, Core Web Vitals
- Key features: Mobile/desktop scoring, specific recommendations
- Cost: Free
- Limitations: One page at a time
3. W3C Markup Validator
- Best for: HTML/CSS validation
- Key features: Standards compliance checking
- Cost: Free
- URL: https://validator.w3.org/
4. Browser Developer Tools
- Best for: Real-time error detection, JavaScript debugging
- Key features: Console errors, network analysis, performance profiling
- Cost: Built into browsers
- Learning curve: Moderate
Premium Professional Tools
5. Lookkle Website Scan (Recommended)
- Best for: Comprehensive website error analysis
- Key features:
- Full site SEO audit
- Broken link detection
- Performance analysis
- Mobile responsiveness check
- Security scanning
- Backlink analysis
- Content optimization suggestions
- URL: Lookkle Website Scan
- Advantages: All-in-one solution, actionable reports, regular monitoring
- Cost: Free (limited), $ 19.95/month (full version)
6. Screaming Frog SEO Spider
- Best for: Technical SEO audits, large site crawling
- Key features: Crawls up to 500 URLs free, extensive data export
- Cost: Free (limited), £149/year (full version)
7. Ahrefs Site Audit
- Best for: Technical SEO, health monitoring
- Key features: 140+ checks, health score, regular monitoring
- Cost: From $99/month
8. SEMrush Site Audit
- Best for: SEO and technical errors
- Key features: 140+ checks, prioritized issues, progress tracking
- Cost: From $119.95/month
Specialized Tools
9. GTmetrix
- Best for: Performance monitoring, waterfall analysis
- Cost: Free (limited), from $10/month
10. Pingdom
- Best for: Uptime monitoring, real user monitoring
- Cost: From $10/month
11. Dead Link Checker
- Best for: Broken link detection only
- Cost: Free for basic checks
12. WAVE Accessibility Tool
- Best for: Accessibility compliance checking
- Cost: Free online, paid browser extension
Using Lookkle's Website Scan for Complete Error Analysis
Lookkle's Website Scan SEO tool provides comprehensive website error detection in a single, user-friendly platform.
What Lookkle's Website Scan Analyzes
1. Technical SEO Health
- Meta tags completeness and optimization
- Heading structure and hierarchy
- XML sitemap status and errors
- Robots.txt configuration
- Canonical tag implementation
- Schema markup validity
- URL structure optimization
- Internal linking analysis
2. Performance Metrics
- Page load speed analysis
- Server response time
- Image optimization status
- Script and CSS efficiency
- Browser caching implementation
- Compression status
- Content delivery network usage
3. Mobile Optimization
- Responsive design verification
- Mobile viewport configuration
- Touch element sizing
- Mobile page speed
- Mobile-specific errors
4. Content Quality
- Keyword optimization analysis
- Content length and depth
- Readability scores
- Duplicate content detection
- Thin content identification
- Content freshness evaluation
5. Link Health
- Broken internal links
- Broken external links
- Redirect chains identification
- Nofollow link analysis
- Link equity distribution
6. Security Assessment
- SSL certificate status
- Mixed content warnings
- Security header implementation
- Vulnerability detection
7. Backlink Profile
- Referring domains analysis
- Anchor text distribution
- Link quality assessment
- Toxic backlink identification
- Competitor backlink comparison
How to Use Lookkle Website Scan
Step 1: Access the Tool
- Navigate to Lookkle Website Scan
- Create a free account or log in
- Enter your website URL in the scan field
Step 2: Initiate Comprehensive Scan
- Click "Scan" Icon
- Wait for the crawl to complete (typically 2-10 minutes depending on site size)
- The tool will systematically check:
- All discoverable pages on your site
- Technical SEO elements
- Performance metrics
- Mobile compatibility
- Security status
Step 3: Review the Dashboard
The results dashboard provides:
Overall Health Score:
- 90-100: Excellent (few minor issues)
- 70-89: Good (some improvements needed)
- 50-69: Fair (multiple issues requiring attention)
- Below 50: Poor (critical issues need immediate fixing)
Issue Categorization:
- Critical Errors (Red): Must fix immediately—major impact
- Warnings (Orange): Should fix soon—moderate impact
- Notices (Blue): Consider addressing—minor impact
- Passed Checks (Green): No action needed
Step 4: Prioritize Issues
Lookkle automatically prioritizes issues by impact:
Priority 1 - Critical Issues:
- Server errors (5xx)
- Broken critical pages
- Major security vulnerabilities
- Severe mobile usability problems
- Indexing blocks on important pages
Priority 2 - High-Impact Issues:
- Slow page load times
- Missing meta descriptions on key pages
- Broken links
- Redirect chains
- Duplicate content
Priority 3 - Moderate Issues:
- Image optimization opportunities
- Minor broken links
- Non-critical security headers
- Schema markup improvements
Priority 4 - Low-Priority Optimizations:
- Readability improvements
- Additional image alt text
- Minor code optimization
- Additional internal linking
Step 5: Deep-Dive into Specific Issues
Click on any issue category for detailed information:
For each error, you'll see:
- Description: What the issue is
- Impact: How it affects your site
- Affected URLs: Specific pages with the problem
- How to fix: Step-by-step resolution instructions
- Resources: Links to tutorials or documentation
Step 6: Export Reports
Generate comprehensive reports for:
- Team sharing and collaboration
- Client presentations
- Progress tracking over time
- Developer handoff
- Management reporting
Step 7: Set Up Monitoring
Configure ongoing monitoring to:
- Receive alerts when new errors appear
- Track improvement over time
- Monitor competitor websites
- Get weekly/monthly health reports
- Automate regular scans
Interpreting Lookkle Website Scan Results
Understanding the Technical SEO Report:
Meta Tags Section:
✅ Title Tags: 45/48 pages (3 missing)
⚠️ Meta Descriptions: 38/48 pages (10 missing)
✅ Open Graph Tags: Present on key pages
❌ Twitter Cards: Not implemented
Action Items:
- Add title tags to 3 pages identified
- Write meta descriptions for 10 pages
- Consider implementing Twitter Cards for social sharing
Understanding the Performance Report:
Page Load Time: 3.2s (Target: <3s)
Time to First Byte: 450ms (Target: <200ms)
Largest Contentful Paint: 2.8s (Target: <2.5s)
Top Issues:
1. Unoptimized images: 24 images totaling 4.2MB
2. Render-blocking JavaScript: 6 scripts
3. No browser caching: 18 resources
Action Items:
- Compress and convert images to WebP
- Defer non-critical JavaScript
- Implement browser caching headers
Understanding the Mobile Report:
Mobile-Friendly: ✅ Yes
Viewport Configured: ✅ Correct
Mobile Page Speed: ⚠️ 2.1s (Target: <1.8s)
Issues Found:
1. Touch targets too small: 8 buttons
2. Text too small: 3 paragraphs
3. Content wider than screen: 2 pages
Action Items:
- Increase button padding to 48x48px minimum
- Set minimum font size to 16px
- Fix overflow on identified pages
Lookkle's Advanced Features
Competitive Analysis:
- Compare your site health against competitors
- Identify gaps in your strategy
- Discover opportunities competitors are missing
Historical Tracking:
- View health score trends over time
- Track which issues have been fixed
- Identify recurring problems
- Measure impact of changes
Custom Alerts:
- Get notified of new critical errors
- Monitor specific metrics you care about
- Receive weekly summary reports
- Set alert thresholds
White-Label Reports:
- Generate branded reports for clients
- Customize report sections
- Add your logo and company information
- Schedule automated report delivery
Fixing Common Website Errors
Fixing 404 Not Found Errors
Step-by-Step Resolution:
- Identify All 404 Pages:
- Use Google Search Console → Pages → Not Found
- Run Lookkle Website Scan
- Check server logs for 404 patterns
- Categorize 404 Errors: Type A: Important pages that should exist
- Customer pages
- Popular blog posts
- Product pages
- Key landing pages
- Outdated promotions
- Deleted products
- Archived content
- Old URLs from site migration
- Typos in URLs
- Malformed links
- Automated bot attempts
- Fix Each Category: For Type A (Important Pages):
Option 1: Restore the content if you have backups
Option 2: Create new content for that URL
Option 3: Redirect to most similar existing page (301)
For Type B (Old Pages):
Option 1: 301 redirect to relevant replacement page
Option 2: 410 Gone if truly no longer relevant
Option 3: Custom 404 page