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Technical Health

Page returned an error when loaded

What this means for your business

A page returned an error code like "404 Not Found" or "500 Server Error." Visitors hit a dead end instead of your content. Google may also remove the page from search results if it repeatedly returns an error.

How to fix it
Medium
30 minutes–2 hours

  1. 1Identify which page returned an error code (the scan report will list the URL). Visit the page in your browser to confirm the error.
  2. 2For 404 errors: the page doesn't exist. Either restore the page, create a redirect from the old URL to a new one, or update any internal links pointing to that URL.
  3. 3For 500 errors: this is a server crash. Contact your hosting provider — describe the error and the URL. They can check the server logs and usually resolve it quickly. Common causes are a broken plugin, a database connection issue, or your server running out of resources.
  4. 4For 301/302 redirect chains: multiple redirects in sequence slow down pages and can dilute SEO. Set up a direct redirect from the original URL to the final destination.
  5. 5After fixing, use Google Search Console → URL Inspection to request a recrawl so Google updates its index.

On WordPress

The Redirection plugin lets you easily create and manage URL redirects. For server errors, check your hosting control panel error logs or contact your host's support.

On Shopify

Go to Online Store → Navigation → URL Redirects to add redirects. Shopify automatically handles most redirect scenarios, but you'll need to manually set up 404 redirects.

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