404 error on WordPress

Web development WordPress
1

Anyone know what causes a 404 error on WordPress?

I have removed some pages and expected WP to realise they are missing and redirect visitors to my home page or somewhere useful so they can continue. Is there a place is WP where I can send all dead links to?

2020-01-01_13-45-32

2

Hi @Boz,

There are a lot of things that can cause a WordPress 404 error to occur. These include:

  • A mistyped URL. In some cases, the error can be as simple as an extra letter typed in the page’s URL.
  • Caching problems. Sometimes, your browser may cache the page you’re trying to access while it can’t be found, so you’ll keep seeing the 404 error even if your site is working for everyone else.
  • An issue with your Domain Name Server (DNS) settings. Your domain may not have propagated yet to the DNS you’re using, so you see the error when you try to access one of your site’s pages.
  • WordPress compatibility issues. In some cases, problems with a plugin or theme may affect the way WordPress generates URLs and permalinks for your website. Then, if anyone tries to access an URL that doesn’t work anymore, a WordPress permalinks 404 error occurs.
    For detailed step by step solution on the above error please follow this article How to Fix 404 Error on WordPress Posts and Pages
    It’s important to understand that the 404 error isn’t unique to WordPress alone. It can crop up regardless of which platform your website uses. However, if you’re using WordPress, you have an advantage – there are plenty of ways you can go about troubleshooting the issue.
3

You can set a custom error message for the error code 404 to do this please follow this article for step by step solutions: Setting a Custom 404 Error Page in .htaccess

For redirection to homepage or a particular page I would suggest to use wordpress plug like Redirection plugin,this plugin allows you to easily redirect the traffic from broken links to new URLs. And it also has several other conditional redirection methods like redirecting users who use certain types of browsers.

1 Like
4

thanks for the help. I’ll try those suggestions next week.

5

Very often, the solution to 404 error in WordPress is simply saving your permalinks. Doing this will update your .htaccess file with the correct configurations for your WordPress website.

6

In addition to other members suggestions, you can also check this:

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1.Go to Settings »
2.Permalinks, and simply click on Save Changes button. This will update your permalinks settings and flush rewrite rules.
In most cases this solution fixes the WordPress posts 404 error . However, if it does not work for you, then you probably need to update your .htaccess file manually

8

The notorious error 404 is caused by two different scenarios. It is usually caused by either a WordPress site being taken down or removed. Or more likely, it is due to an error with WordPress permalinks.

The Permalinks configuration (General Settings) is the most likely culprit for 404 errors. If you have recently changed your hosting, migrated your website, or changed the domain name there is probably an inconsistency between the old version of your site and the new one.
Settings > Permalinks. From here, you can check if the URL structure matches what you expect. Also verify that the domain name is correct. After making the changes, be sure to hit the “Save Changes” button or the changes won’t go live.

9

Hey there!
Check the info in this link
It shows the why and the how to fix it
https://www.google.com.mx/amp/s/www.hostinger.com/tutorials/fix-404-error-wordpress/amp/

10

WordPress 404 not found error indicates that your server is unable to find the posts or pages on your site. 404 error occurs due to broken links and the only solution to this is to update your permalinks in .htaccess file with all the correct information. If the .htaccess file doesn’t exist, click on New File in Settings in File Manager, name the file .htaccess, and set the directory for creation to /public_html/ or the document root of your site.