Is there a way to set up 301 auto redirects from 404s
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some of our pages under a specific website section gets deleted from another data source and we want to resolve the problem of 404s can we set up automated 301 redirects to the main page as soon as one of these pages are deleted
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Hi there,
Yes, there are several ways you could do that, but my question is, if it is worth it, or not. If we are talking about a large website, you could have issues with Google's crawl budget. Basically, the crawlers would have to go through an additional 301 to land on your homepage.
Google describes their best practices about redirecting 404 pages here: https://support.google.com/webmasters/answer/181708?hl=en
- If your page is no longer available, and has no clear replacement, it should return a 404 (not found) or 410 (Gone) response code. Either code clearly tells both browsers and search engines that the page doesn’t exist. You can also display a custom 404 page to the user, if appropriate: for example, a page containing a list of your most popular pages, or a link to your homepage.
- If your page has moved or has a clear replacement, return a 301 (permanent redirect) to redirect the user as appropriate.
In my opinion, the decision should be determined by the size of the website. If we are talking about a big website, maybe it would be more beneficial if you follow Google's guidelines, implement a 410 status code. If the website is small, maybe you could redirect the users to the homepage, and hope they are going continue their journey on your website.
István
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Yes, you can setup a redirect depending on your CMS. We use DNN and there is a section in the site settings that makes this easily possible...or even design your own 404 page any way you want.
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If you are on a Wordpress website there is an "All 404 to Homepage" Plugin that you can install for free that makes all 404 pages redirect to your homepage. This is what I have found to be the easiest solution to this, otherwise you can setup individual 301s from each broken URL to a relevant live URL.
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Hi. What are you using for your website? Wordpress or another CRM? What is the other data source that deletes the pages?
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