Key takeaways
- A practical guide to the GSC status 'Not found (404)': how to classify URLs (keep/move/remove), when to 301 vs 410, and how to stop crawl waste
Table of Contents
Start with the map:
What this status means
Googlebot tried to fetch the URL and got a 404.
That is not automatically a problem. The problem is when 404s create crawl debt and keep Google busy on junk.
Classify URLs (this decides the fix)
Classify each URL into:
- Keep: should be 200 and indexable
- Move: 301 to a true successor page
- Remove: 410 if intentionally removed; otherwise 404
If you want the full playbook:
Fix checklist
- Remove dead URLs from sitemap.
- Fix internal links pointing to 404s.
- 301 only when there is a real successor.
- Use 410 for intentional removals.
Validation
- GSC URL Inspection: confirm the final status code you intend.
- Watch the Pages report for 1-2 weeks (it lags).
Next in GSC statuses
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Next in SEO & Search
Up next:
Submitted URL not found (404): Fix checklist for sitemaps (GSC)What 'Submitted URL not found (404)' means in Google Search Console, why it happens (bad sitemap / old URLs), and the fastest cleanup steps with validation.