When surfing the internet, have you ever come across a page with a 404 Not Found error? Simply put, the error description or error occurs because the page you are going to cannot be found. When this happens, both the visitor and the site owner are harmed alike.
HTTP Error 404 Not Found will make visitors unable to access information so they run from a site or website. Meanwhile, the impact on website owners is the decrease in the SEO quality of their website. That means, this HTTP Error 404 must be handled properly before it has a bad impact on visitors and the website itself.
You can also see a complete list of other HTTP Status Codes in this article. So, this time we will invite you to recognize the term HTTP Error 404 Not Found, the causes of its occurrence, and easy ways to solve it. Let's listen!
What does it Mean When a Page is 404?
The term HTTP Error 404 Not Found is an error information displayed by the browser referring to a website page that cannot be opened. This type of error or error is one of the types of errors that webmasters often complain about. How not, this error will have a negative impact on the user experience.
HTTP Error 404 is often also referred to as a linkrot or a link that has rotted. When the link or links are visited by the user, the browser does not manage to find the page or file to access, and then displays a description of Error 404 Not Found. Well, of course, this error has a background of several reasons that a website owner must know.
What is Caused by 404 Not Found?
If you are a website owner, you certainly don't want your website to be bad in the eyes of search engines or search engines, right? Referring to the guide on Google Search Console, actually Error 404 Not Found will not affect the index or ranking of a website if the URL error does not exist on the website.
However, if it turns out that the URL error has existed on a website before, leaving it alone will have a negative impact. As a webmaster, you have to handle this properly, through redirects and so on. But before discussing how to fix it, it's good for us to know what are the causes of the 404 error.
1. Wrong Entered URL
The most common cause of HTTP Error 404 is an error in entering the URL of a website. Entering just 1 character incorrectly will result in the browser finding nothing and displaying an error message.
This is because every page on the internet has a unique URL that serves as its address. If a user mistypes the address, of course he won't find what he's looking for.
2. Cache Problems
Error 404 can also appear due to problems or problems with the caching system. Basically cache is used to make a website faster and easier to access, but sometimes caching actually makes the website inaccessible at all.
Then how can the cache system raise the 404 error? The answer is simple, when previously the browser found an error message during caching, then the message will be displayed again the next time the website is visited. Even though the website can be accessed if you use another browser.
3. Problem DNS Settings
Another cause of the HTTP Error 404 message appearing is an error in the DNS settings. DNS stands for Domain Name System which is an important setting so that a website can be accessed.
4. Theme or Plugin Conflicts
Apart from the several causes previously written, Error 404 Not Found can also be caused by an error or conflict in the theme and/or plugin used by a WordPress-based website. This conflict can cause the URL to be inaccessible.
How do I Fix HTTP 404 Not Found?
To avoid the bad effects, both short and long term, HTTP Error 404 must be resolved immediately. The way to overcome this is as follows.
1. Check Entered URL
The easiest way to deal with HTTP Error 404 Not Found is to double-check the URL typed in the browser. See if there is a typo in the URL. If there is, fix it and then reopen it with your browser.
2. Reload or Refresh Page
Reloading or refreshing the browser can also help resolve this 404 error. It could be that there were network problems when you accessed before. If so, the website will be accessible again after you reload the page when the network is connected.
3. Clear Browser Cache and History
Clearing or deleting cache and history from the browser can also help overcome the 404 error. You can clear cache and special history on websites that you cannot open or cache based on a certain time range. After that, you can repeat accessing the website again.
4. Double Check DNS Settings
Unfinished DNS propagation and wrong settings can also make a website raise a 404 error. Enter your domain service provider account, check the DNS settings properly. If confused, there's nothing wrong with asking customer service or the technical section.
5. Corrupt Page Redirect
If indeed the page is damaged, either because it was deleted or the URL changed, do a redirect or redirect to a new page. This will help users and search engine crawler robots to recognize the replacement page from the broken one.
6. Disable Themes and Plugins
If you are a WordPress user, the error could be caused by an error in the theme and plugin you are using. At first, try changing the theme you are using to another theme or standard theme, if errors are still found then deactivate all plugins. Check the website again when all plugins are deactivated.
If your website is accessible, then it's just a matter of finding out which plugin is causing the error. Reactivate one plugin, then check the website again. If there are no problems, you can activate other plugins one by one and check the website until you find the error message again. Disable or delete the plugin causing the error.
- Check to confirm that you want to set the file access permissions to default. Click Run.
- If you want to set file access permissions to a certain value, open the File Manager menu.
- Right-click the file or folder you want to change, then select Access.
- Check the boxes for the options you want to change access permissions for and then click Update.
How do I Fix a 404 Error in Chrome?
How to solve the 404 not found error? Everyone must have encountered a 404 not found or server not found page. If you find this article, what do you usually do? Trying to refresh repeatedly, or closing the browser then opening it again? So, did this method work?
Error 404 not found is a code that appears when you are opening a website page that cannot be found. The appearance of the error message that appears can look different, such as 404 error, 404 Not Found, HTTP 404, and so on. This error message can be read from various types of browsers when the web page you are opening cannot be accessed.
Error 404 not found is a code that indicates that the page you want to access is experiencing problems. However, in general the 4XX code indicates that the error occurred on the client-side. So, how do you solve the 404 not found? There are 3 ways you can do to overcome this, namely:
1. Check Input URL
Make sure the URL address you enter is correct. Just one letter error or domain error can take you to a 404 not found page.
To prevent URL input errors, you can open a search engine page such as Google, Bing, or Yahoo first and enter the name of the website you want to visit. Every website that has been registered on the Internet will definitely be registered on every existing search engine so you just have to click on the URL link that is already available there.
2. Refresh the Website Page or Restart the Browser
What you can do when you find a 404 not found page is to refresh the website page you are visiting. If this method doesn't work, then you can close the browser you are using, then reopen it and try visiting the previous URL.
3. Reset History Cache in Browser
Did you know that the browser you use today will always store all your track records on the Internet in cache form? This cache will make it easier for users when they want to visit the same website more than once. When you visit a website for the first time, usually the website will take a long time to load because the website server has to collect data from the IP address of those who want to visit the website.
After all your device data is collected during the first website visit and entered into cache, then for subsequent website visits, the website server will read the information already in the cache so that the loading time or page load will be faster.
When you find 404 not found from the website you want to visit, it could be that there is a problem with the browser cache you are using, such as the cache being too full and so on. Therefore, to overcome this, you can clear the cache in the browser settings section.
Several steps to overcome the 404 not found error are actually very easy and can be done quickly. So, we recommend the following simple steps before you try other methods. Here is the easiest way to resolve the 404 not found error:
- Restart your web browser. Try closing the current browser window and then opening it again. This is the shortest, easiest and fastest way.
- Clear browser cache. Clear browser data and history. Then, check again whether the 404 not found error still occurs.
- Double-check the website address. Check the URL again and make sure the website address you entered is correct.
- Try opening the website on another device. Access the website using another web browser or other device. If it turns out that the website can be accessed, try clearing the previous device's cache and cookies again.
- Use Incognito mode. This mode does not save cache and cookies, so the version of the web page displayed is the most recent.
Conclusion
HTTP Error 404 Not Found is a common error message on a website, so you don't need to panic if you find it. If this happens to your website, find out what causes it and deal with it in the right way. However, there are times when a website cannot be accessed not because of all the reasons above, but because of a problem with the server where the website is hosted.
The 404 not found error is an HTTP status code that indicates that the page you are trying to access cannot be found. This error commonly occurs when the domain points to the wrong DNS address, file or folder access permissions are misconfigured, or the system is running a corrupt .htaccess file.
For those of you who encounter this error while browsing, here are ways to resolve the 404 not found error that you can try:
- Make sure the domain points to the right web host
- Correct file access permissions
- Disable corrupted .htaccess files
- Restore your website backup
For those of you who manage websites, it is very important to immediately resolve this 404 not found if it appears on your website. Apart from the steps explained above, we also recommend the following steps to avoid 404 errors on your WordPress:
- Check external links regularly. Make sure there are no broken links on your website.
- Audit 404 errors regularly. Search for this missing page using the Google Search Console tool.
Hopefully this article can help you overcome 404 not found, OK? If you still have other questions or suggestions, please leave a comment below!