Skip to main content

How would you troubleshoot if thousands of URLs are reported as ‘Soft 404s’ after a CMS update?

Troubleshooting thousands of Soft 404 errors after a CMS update requires a structured, thorough approach. Here's how you can go about it:

1. Understand the Issue

Soft 404: A page that appears to be missing (e.g., no meaningful content) but returns a 200 OK status code instead of a 404 or 410.

2. Collect Initial Data

  • Google Search Console → Indexing → Pages → Filter by "Soft 404".

  • Export the full list of affected URLs.

  • Compare against logs or sitemap to determine:

    • If they existed before the CMS update.

    • If they are intentionally removed or changed.

3. Identify Patterns

Analyze the URLs for common traits:

  • Are they in a specific folder (e.g., /blog/, /products/)?

  • Do they share similar templates or parameters?

  • Are they legacy URLs pointing to non-existent resources?

4. Inspect Sample Pages

Manually visit a few affected URLs:

  • Does the page look blank, have thin content, or redirect improperly?

  • Check HTTP headers (e.g., with Chrome DevTools or curl):

    curl -I https://example.com/suspect-url

    Look for:

    • Status code (should not be 200 OK if content is missing).

    • Canonical tags (misconfigured ones can cause issues).

    • Meta noindex or redirects.

5. Review CMS Update Changes

Dive into what the update modified:

  • Templates: Did layout or content population logic change?

  • Routing: Are URLs being routed to the wrong controller/view?

  • Redirects: Did redirect rules get altered or removed?

  • Plugins/Modules: Any new SEO or URL handling plugins added?

6. Common Causes to Check

  • Empty pages still returning 200 OK.

  • Redirects to home page or unrelated content.

  • Missing canonical URLs or canonicalizing to a non-existent page.

  • Session-dependent or JS-generated content failing to load for bots.

  • URL normalization issues (e.g., trailing slashes, case sensitivity).

7. Fixes and Recommendations

Based on your findings:

  • Ensure non-existent pages return 404 or 410.

  • Redirect old URLs to equivalent new content using 301 redirects.

  • Update templates to serve proper content or error codes.

  • Improve thin content pages with meaningful content.

  • Use a custom 404 page to improve UX and signal the right status.

8. Test & Validate

  • Use curl, Screaming Frog, or Google's URL Inspection Tool to verify fixes.

  • Submit corrected URLs for reindexing in Search Console.

  • Monitor progress over the next few crawls.

9. Prevent Future Recurrence

  • Add automated tests or monitoring for HTTP status codes.

  • Maintain a URL mapping table during future CMS updates.

  • Educate devs/content teams about SEO implications of thin content.

Popular posts from this blog

Explain the Angular compilation process: View Engine vs. Ivy.

 The Angular compilation process transforms your Angular templates and components into efficient JavaScript code that the browser can execute. Over time, Angular has evolved from the View Engine compiler to a newer, more efficient system called Ivy . Here's a breakdown of the differences between View Engine and Ivy , and how each affects the compilation process: 🔧 1. What Is Angular Compilation? Angular templates ( HTML inside components) are not regular HTML—they include Angular-specific syntax like *ngIf , {{ }} interpolation, and custom directives. The compiler translates these templates into JavaScript instructions that render and update the DOM. Angular uses Ahead-of-Time (AOT) or Just-in-Time (JIT) compilation modes: JIT : Compiles in the browser at runtime (used in development). AOT : Compiles at build time into efficient JS (used in production). 🧱 2. View Engine (Legacy Compiler) ➤ Used in Angular versions < 9 🔍 How It Works: Compiles templat...
Read more

Explain the concept of ControlValueAccessor in custom form components.

 In Angular, the ControlValueAccessor interface is what allows custom form components to work seamlessly with Angular forms (both reactive and template-driven). 🧠 What is ControlValueAccessor ? It’s an Angular bridge between your custom component and the Angular Forms API . When you use a custom form component (like a date picker, dropdown, slider, etc.), Angular doesn't automatically know how to read or write its value. That’s where ControlValueAccessor comes in. It tells Angular: How to write a value to the component How to notify Angular when the component’s value changes How to handle disabled state 📦 Common Built-in Examples: <input> and <select> already implement ControlValueAccessor You implement it when creating custom form controls 🔧 Key Methods in the Interface Method Purpose writeValue(obj: any) Called by Angular to set the value in the component registerOnChange(fn: any) Passes a function to call when the component value ch...
Read more

What are the different types of directives in Angular? Give real-world examples.

In Angular, directives are classes that allow you to manipulate the DOM or component behavior . There are three main types of directives: 🧱 1. Component Directives Technically, components are directives with a template. They control a section of the screen (UI) and encapsulate logi c. ✅ Example: @Component ({ selector : 'app-user-card' , template : `<h2>{{ name }}</h2>` }) export class UserCardComponent { name = 'Alice' ; } 📌 Real-World Use: A ProductCardComponent showing product details on an e-commerce site. A ChatMessageComponent displaying individual messages in a chat app. ⚙️ 2. Structural Directives These change the DOM layout by adding or removing elements. ✅ Built-in Examples: *ngIf : Conditionally includes a template. *ngFor : Iterates over a list and renders template for each item. *ngSwitch : Switches views based on a condition. 📌 Real-World Use: < div * ngIf = "user.isLoggedIn...
Read more