404 Error Not Found is one of the most common error messages that you can see on the Web and on your own website. Because of how common is and how it negatively can impact your website, in the following paragraphs, you will read what is 404 Error Not Found is, what prompts it, and how you can fix it, should it appear on your web pages.
What is 404 Error Not Found
404 Error Not Found is one of the many HTTP status codes. This particular error code indicates that the web server can’t find the requested data on this particular web address.
In more detail, imagine this scenario: You work on your website, and while doing so, you create a new web page with specific content.
For this particular web page, there is also a specific URL that leads to it. For example, you work on your About Us web page and the URL that leads to it is such: www.examplewebsite.com/about-us/.
You place this URL to other pages, so your site visitors can quickly go to About Us, should they decide to do so. At a certain moment, you decide to delete the About Us webpage, as well as its content.
However, you don’t remove the URLs that lead to this already deleted web page. In this case, should you, or your visitors, click on the URL that leads to the deleted page, you will stumble on 404 Error Not Found.
This happens, because the requested server understands and follows where the URL leads to, but finds out that there is no webpage and content on this address, so instead of what is expected and requested, it returns the 404 Error Not Found message.
404 Error is associated with both bad user experience and lower positions in search engine rankings. This is why, it is important to fix the problem as soon as possible, so you retain your visitors and keep them satisfied by the browsing experience, and also make sure that search engines like Google will rank your web pages higher in search results. Similar error messages include:
- Error 400 Bad Request
- Error 401 Unauthorized
- Error 402 Payment Required
- Error 405 Method Not Allowed
- Error 406 Not Acceptable
- Error 408 Request Timeout
- Error 409 Conflict
If you are interested in the topic of HTTP status codes, then check out our comprehensive article explaining everything thoroughly: What are HTTP Status Codes There are several causes that prompt the 404 error message:
- Incorrect URL. Sometimes a mistyped URL can cause the display of 404 Not Found, as the server will be searching for information in a non-existent address.
- Moved or deleted web page. Should you have deleted a web page from your website or moved the content to another URL address, the old URL will point to nothing and therefore the server will prompt the display of the 404 Error.
- Caching issues. Too many web browser cache files can lead to various issues, including the prompt of Error 404 Not Found.
- Issues with DNS settings. There’s a chance that there are problems with the Domain Name System. This can be caused by either incorrect setup or in the case of a newly registered domain name.
- Missing data. Missing files and data such as images, CSS, or JavaScript files can cause the appearance of 404 Error in your web browser.
How to Fix 404 Error Not Found
There are 5 methods that you can use to fix 404 Not Found:
Method 1: Reload the Web Page
There might be some momentarily Internet problem that prompts a 404 Error – refresh the web page within your preferred web browser and see whether it loads properly.
Method 2: Check for Mistyped URL
Carefully see whether the URL address is correctly typed in. Should there be a mistyped element, remove it, as otherwise, it will make the web server search for non-existent data within a non-existent domain, resulting in the display of a 404 Error.
Method 3: Clear Internet Browser Cache
Too many cache files can cause issues, such as prompting the display of Error 404. Clear your browser cache and reload the page. To clear your browser cache, follow the instructions in this article: How to Clear Browser Cache.
Method 4: Flush the DNS Cache
Clearing the DNS cache can help you resolve 404 Not Found. To see how to clear it, follow the instructions in this article: How to Flush DNS Cache on Windows.
Method 5: Check for Missing Files
404 Error can be caused in case the requested file is removed or moved. This can happen if you have browsed the root directory of your website and edited the website files. If this is the case, then restore a version of your website from before the edits, so the requested files are available.
Method 6: 404 Appearing on a WordPress website
If your website is based on WordPress and it displays 404, then, you might be facing some CMS-specific issues. If none of the mentioned methods doesn’t fix your WordPress website, check for some specific approaches in this article: WordPress 404 Not Found.
Conclusion
404 Error indicates that the requested data is nowhere to be found on a particular URL address. With a few simple methods, you can fix the issue and access the requested files once again.
