Why is Google indexing my 404 pages, and how do I fix it?
Hey everyone,
I noticed that Google is indexing several of my 404 error pages, even though they shouldn’t exist. These pages appear in search results, which is confusing for users and bad for SEO. I’ve checked my sitemap, and these URLs aren’t there. I also use proper 404 headers, but they still show up.
Why is this happening, and how can I stop Google from indexing these pages? Should I use 410 instead of 404, or is there another fix?
Google may continue to index 404 pages if they were previously indexed or still have incoming links. To address this, consider returning a 410 Gone status code for permanently removed pages, as it signals to Google that the page is gone for good, helping speed up deindexing. You can also use the URL Removal Tool in Google Search Console to manually request removal of these pages. Additionally, ensure there are no internal or external links pointing to the 404 pages, and consider updating your robots.txt to prevent crawling of these URLs. Regularly monitor Google Search Console for any indexing issues. A 410 is often a better choice than a 404 for permanently removed pages, as it gives a clearer signal to Google.
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