Every website has broken links - old URLs that changed, mistyped paths, deleted pages. What varies is what users see when they land on one. A bare browser or server error page sends users straight back to Google. A custom 404 page keeps them on your site and gives them a path forward.
Why this happens
low
No custom 404 page configured
Your server returns a default error response for missing pages - either a blank white page, a generic 'Cannot GET /path' Node error, or an nginx/Apache default page with no navigation. Visitors who land on a broken URL have no way to find what they were looking for and leave immediately.
Every browser automatically requests /favicon.ico when loading a page. Without a favicon file, this generates a 404 error on every single page visit. These appear in your server logs, count against your error rate, and leave the browser tab with a blank icon.
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Frequently asked questions
Does a custom 404 page affect SEO?
Indirectly, yes. A good 404 page reduces bounce rate on error pages (Google can see when users immediately click back). It keeps users on your site who might otherwise leave and never return. It also avoids the scenario where Googlebot finds a broken link and sees a 200 OK with an error message instead of a proper 404 status code - which can pollute your index.
My 404 page returns a 200 status code - is that a problem?
Yes - this is called a 'soft 404'. Google sees a 200 OK and tries to index the page, but the content says 'page not found'. Google may then try to index the error page itself and will eventually demote it. Make sure your 404 page returns HTTP status code 404 - check with curl -I https://yourdomain.com/nonexistent-page.
What should a good 404 page include?
At minimum: your site's navigation header (so users can go anywhere), a clear 'Page not found' heading, a link back to the homepage, and optionally links to your most popular sections. More advanced: a search box, recently published content, or a friendly error illustration. Keep it consistent with your site design so it doesn't feel like an error.
How do I find all the broken links on my site?
Google Search Console → Pages → Not Found (404) shows URLs Googlebot is hitting that return 404s. Screaming Frog (free up to 500 URLs) crawls your entire site and finds internal broken links. Ahrefs or Semrush show external broken links (other sites linking to pages that no longer exist on your site).