What is Harmful: 301 Redirect or 404 Error Pages  

A 404 page is also known as a page with errors or a page that wasn't discovered on your online presence. It's a broken page on your online presence, one that has been relocated or deleted. The error notice might also appear if a user enters the incorrect URL address. It is most likely one of the most common and particular error messages. It signifies that the page the viewer is attempting to access cannot be found on the server. Boost your Skills by learning: Digital Marketing
 
Table of Content:
1) How to Select a 301 or 404 Response Code:
2) This SEO hack's basis:
3) To Redirect Google Page Rank (TM) From Non-Existent Pages To The Homepage:
4) Scenario one: manually altering URLs

How to Select a 301 or 404 Response Code:
Gary also stated that each publisher must choose which method works most efficiently for them.

Source: Safalta

Websites disappear for a number of causes. If a page is missing due to the merger of two sites, a publisher can 301 redirect old or obsolete pages to new pages that are comparable in content. However, if no identical subject match exists, the pages may become 404 replies, indicating that the page is missing. A 410 status code can be used to signal that the removal is permanent, however, Google considers the 404 and 410 very identically. Finally, when in doubt, consider what works best for the user. For instance, if you are integrating a site on Topic K into a larger site about Topic A - Z, it may make sense to execute a one-to-one redirect to Topic D pages in the larger site.

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This SEO hack's basis:
The idea of this hack is that Google counts 404 errors and that the amount of mistakes on your site impacts your site's overall ability to rank. People's response, which does not constitute a solution, is to begin 301 forwarding all error pages to their homepage. Let me offer you some of the reasons why people do this:
 
To Redirect Google Page Rank (TM) From Non-Existent Pages To The Homepage:
If you care about your internet presence, you should take precautions to avoid 404 errors, as they have a negative impact on your SEO. I have an online presence, and every time I go in to Google Webmaster Tools, I uncover a slew of new 404 error links. The issue isn't with 404 errors in and of themselves, but with Google seeing and counting them for you. In Google Search Console, Google displays a graph of your 404 failures, and reducing the amount of 404s on your site is frequently a good idea. That doesn't imply your website shouldn't have any 404 errors.

Let me return to my earlier illustration of tossing things into your drawer when your father or mother urged you to tidy your room. In this scenario, everything includes not just your dirty clothing and toys, but also that half-emptied Coke bottle, that half-finished bag of snacks, and so on. What happens to your drawer when you tidy up your room like that? A mess. Since you cleaned up like that, your entire room will soon stink. This circumstance is no exception.
 
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Scenario one: manually altering URLs
This is the only circumstance over which we have complete control. If we choose to modify our URLs for whatever reason - most likely as a result of altering permalinks - all of our previous URLs will become obsolete instantly.
When we change from example.com/2016/old-link to example.com/new-link, the previous URL is no longer available. A request for such a URL will result in an error. As a result, we must configure 301 redirects to remedy the problem. In most cases, a 301 redirect is the optimum redirect since it informs search engines that the website's address has been permanently relocated. As a consequence, search engines will not penalize you for the modifications, and your SEO rating will be retained - learn more about redirect kinds here. Let's divide scenario one into two more possibilities:

• In this case, you'll have to manually make the 301 redirects: Begin by writing down all of your old URLs and their associated new URLs. Navigate to Tools / Redirection now. Add one of your redundant URLs to the Source URL section under the Add new redirection header. Although there are other Match field possibilities, 'URL just' works best here, so leave it alone. In a comparable manner, as we know where our web page is going, we may keep the Action field set to 'Redirect to URL.' Fill in the blanks in the Regular expression area. Finally, in the Target URL column, enter the right URL. After that, click the Add Redirection option.

a) Changes to existing URLs: You're certainly seeing a lot of 404s if you've previously modified your URLs. That's terrible news for everyone, therefore it's time for a short - or protracted - firefighting job, depending on the size of your website. We must now put the reroute to the test. provided you visit the old URL, you will be promptly redirected to the correct URL provided you configured the redirect correctly. Congratulations, your first effort to resolve 404 issues with WordPress was a success. We've addressed how time-consuming it is to create a manual redirect for each and every page. But, if it's not already too late, there may be a better way...

b) Future URL modifications: If you're thinking about altering your URLs, install the Redirection plugin right now. This will save you an abundance of time and aggravation in the long run. This is that Redirection will monitor all changes to current URLs and will instantly create a 301 redirect if any changes are detected. Name the group you belong to, then choose WordPress Posts and click Add. Now go to the Options tab, locate the Monitor changes to posts area, and pick the newly established group. Click the Update button. Enter a post and then click to change the URL extension. When you return to Tools / Redirection, you will find that the plugin has completed the hard work. It has already set up a 301 redirect, which points the old URL to the new one:
 
Gary further mentioned that each publisher must choose which strategy works best for them. Websites go offline for a variety of reasons. If a page is missing as a result of a site merger, a publisher can 301 redirect old or outdated pages to new pages with equivalent information. If no similar subject match exists, the pages may become 404 answers, indicating that the page is no longer available. A 410 status code can be used to indicate that the removal is permanent; nevertheless, Google treats the 404 and 410 as interchangeable. Finally, when in doubt, think about what is best for the user. 

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