Soft 404s: what they are, how to find them and how to fix them
A soft 404 is a page that says "not found" while the server says it loaded fine. How to spot one by hand, why it happens, and what each page should return.
Content and structure
Headings, images, structured data and the content signals that tell search engines what a page is about.
Guides
How to find and fix broken JSON-LD structured data
One stray comma or wrong quote breaks a whole JSON-LD block. How to find structured data syntax errors, the usual causes, and how to stop them coming back.
Image alt text: how to write it, and how to check it
Alt text describes images to people who can't see them and helps Google understand them. When to write it, when to leave it empty, and how to check it.
H1 tag and heading hierarchy: what matters, and how to check
What the H1 tag is for, whether more than one is a problem, why skipped heading levels matter more to people than to Google, and how to check a page's outline.
Every content and structure check SEOSnip runs 9
The main heading is empty
An empty main heading gives visitors and search engines no clear sense of what the page is about.
How to fix
FixAdd text to the main heading, or remove the empty heading.
For developersPut descriptive text in the empty
<h1>, or remove it. Check it isn't an image without alt text.The page has no main heading
The main heading tells visitors and search engines what the page is about.
How to fix
FixAdd one clear main heading that describes the page.
For developersAdd a single
<h1> that describes the page's topic.The page has more than one main heading
A page with several main headings can blur what it is mainly about.
How to fix
FixKeep one main heading and turn the others into subheadings.
For developersKeep one
<h1> and change the others to <h2> to <h6> so they reflect the page structure.Headings skip a level
Skipped heading levels make the page harder to follow for people using screen readers, who move around by headings.
How to fix
FixOrder headings in steps, with no levels missing.
For developersFix the heading hierarchy so levels descend one at a time (h2 then h3, not h2 then h4).
Images are missing descriptions
Descriptions help people using screen readers and tell search engines what the images show.
How to fix
FixAdd a short description to each meaningful image.
For developersAdd descriptive alt attributes to meaningful
<img> elements; use alt="" for purely decorative ones.The page's structured data is broken
Search engines can't use structured data that is broken, so rich results may not appear.
How to fix
FixCorrect the structured data so it is valid.
For developersFix the JSON-LD syntax errors in the application/ld+json script blocks and re-test in the Rich Results Test.
Placeholder text is live on the page
Dummy text makes the page look unfinished to visitors and low quality to search engines.
How to fix
FixReplace the placeholder with real copy, or hide the section until it's written.
For developersRemove the lorem ipsum text from the template or CMS block that outputs it.
A missing page tells search engines it loaded fine
Search engines keep crawling and may index an empty page that says it doesn't exist.
How to fix
FixMake missing pages return a proper not-found response, or redirect them to a replacement.
For developersReturn HTTP 404 or 410 for missing content, or 301-redirect to the closest equivalent page.
The page has very little text
With little text, search engines have little to go on when judging what the page is about.
How to fix
FixAdd useful content for visitors, or keep the page out of search if it has no search value.
For developersExpand the main content (about 200+ words is a common guide), or add noindex to utility pages.
Find these issues on any page
SEOSnip checks the page in your browser, compares the server HTML with the rendered page, and turns each issue into a ticket with the evidence attached.