SEO fix guide
Possible Soft 404 Detected
Page returns HTTP 200 but content suggests a "not found" page.
Issue ID: INDEX-SOFT404-001
Severity: high
Impact: High
Effort: S
Use this article when
- You need deeper remediation guidance than the issue card can show.
- You want CMS-specific steps before handing the fix to a developer.
- You want a repeatable re-check path after shipping the change.
What this issue is
Page returns HTTP 200 but content suggests a "not found" page.
Why it matters
Page returns HTTP 200 but content suggests a "not found" page. This affects how clearly search engines understand the page and how persuasive it looks in search results.
How we detect it
- FreeSiteAudit flags this issue when the rule for INDEX-SOFT404-001 fails and the page evidence points to Dom body.
- You can usually confirm this by checking the page source or the relevant page settings inside your CMS.
Evidence examples
Check the affected page source, rendered output, or relevant CMS setting to confirm the missing or incorrect element.
How to fix it
- 1Return a proper 404 status code for missing pages
- 2Ensure this URL serves real content
- 3Redirect to a valid page if content was moved
How to re-check it
- Check that the page serves real content or returns 404
Related tools
This issue is best verified with the full FreeSiteAudit crawl rather than a single-point mini tool.