How to Easily Track 404 Pages and Redirect Them in WordPress

As a WordPress site owner, few things are more frustrating than finding visitors landing on error pages. The dreaded "404 Page Not Found" errors not only create a bad user experience but also kill your SEO traffic and Google rankings.

According to Moz, over 3.5% of all clicks on Google search results lead to 404 pages. For site owners, that translates to massive amounts of lost organic traffic and conversion opportunities.

In this expanded guide, we‘ll dive into everything you need to know about properly tracking and redirecting 404 errors in WordPress. You‘ll learn:

✅ Common causes of 404 errors and their impact
✅ Step-by-step solutions to automatically find 404s
✅ How to properly redirect 404s in WordPress
✅ Plugins for identifying, monitoring and fixing 404 pages
✅ Tips for creating custom 404 page designs

Let‘s get started!

Why Do 404 Errors Matter?

404 errors happen when visitors try to access pages or content that no longer exists on your site. Some common causes include:

• Broken internal links and site architecture changes
• Deleting pages or posts without redirects
• Outdated external links from other sites
• Server errors or domain config issues
• Users typing incorrect URLs typos

Here are two stats that highlight why you should care about fixing 404 pages:

1. 75% of site visitors that encounter 404 errors will not return to that site again

Once a user hits a dead end, they rarely give that site a second chance.

2. Sites with over 2% 404 rate can see 100 page ranking drops in Google

Google‘s algorithms penalize sites with high volumes of 404s by lowering their page rank SERP positions.

Beyond frustrating users and tanking your site‘s SEO, 404 errors also result in:

• Loss of potential traffic, leads and sales
• Lower domain authority and trust signals
• Negative brand perception from broken user experiences

So as you can see, failing to properly handle 404 errors can seriously hurt your WordPress site‘s performance.

Next, let‘s explore easy ways to track down 404 pages.

How to Find 404 Errors in WordPress Site

By default, WordPress does NOT track 404 errors or log them for you automatically. So the first step is installing a plugin that can detect and monitor 404 occurrences.

Here is a comparison of the best 404 error plugins for WordPress:

Using Redirection Plugin to Find 404s

The Redirection plugin is the most popular free choice on WordPress.org with over 3 million active installs.

Once activated, it will automatically start tracking 404 errors and logging URLs for you. Useful features include:

📈 Live 404 error feed
📊 404 error stats by month
🔎 Search 404 logs
💾 CSV export
⏳ Auto-flush logs by age

To install Redirection:

1. Go to Plugins > Add New
2. Search for "Redirection"
3. Install and activate the plugin
4. Check Tools > Redirection > 404 Errors to see logs

Redirection also includes a redirect manager to easily fix 404s (more details below).

The main downside of Redirection is the basic dashboard UI, so it may appeal more to advanced WordPress users.

Alternative Plugins to Find 404 Pages

➡️ 404 Redirect Manager is a paid premium plugin for Elementor sites that features:

• Real-time 404 monitoring
• One-click redirects
• Advanced reporting and insights
• Custom 404 page builder

➡️ 404page offers a streamlined 404 management and customization experience:

• Automatic 404 alerts
• Redirect editor
• Matches site branding
• Customizable messages

Now that you can easily find 404 errors via plugins, let‘s discuss how to properly redirect them.

How to Redirect 404 Pages in WordPress

Redirecting 404s involves sending traffic from an invalid or removed page to an existing, relevant page on your site. This technique passes SEO value while providing users with a working URL.

Here are the 6 key steps for properly redirecting 404 errors in WordPress:

Step 1: Install a 404 plugin like Redirection

Step 2: Identify 404 URLs from the error logs

Step 3: Select the URL you want to redirect

Step 4: Choose an appropriate redirect destination page

Step 5: Pick redirect type – 301 Permanent or 302 Temporary

Step 6: Save the redirect rule

Let‘s view a quick example using Redirection:

1. Visit Tools > Redirection
2. Click on the 404 Errors tab
3. Click the broken URL under Source URL
4. Enter a working Target URL
5. Set redirect type to 301 Permanent
6. Click Add Redirect to save

That‘s all it takes to seamlessly redirect WordPress 404 errors using Redirection.

The only downside is you still need to manually search logs and set up redirects – which can get tedious for large sites.

Using a premium solution like 404 Redirect Manager instead automatically redirects 404s as they happen in real-time.

But whether you choose a free or paid tool, the most important thing is to frequently check logs and redirect any new 404 errors accordingly. Unfixed 404s will continue creating problems.

Now let‘s explore how to convert those frustrating 404s into branded messages for an improved user experience.

Creating Custom 404 Page Design in WordPress

When visitors still reach error pages, you should display a custom 404 page suited to your brand versus the default.

Here are some key elements to include:

✅ Site logo, fonts, colors
✅ Topic categories and links to popular pages
✅ Search bar to help them find relevant content
✅ Contact information for site issues
✅ 404 explanation and apology messaging

There are WordPress plugins like SeedProd and 404page that make it easy to design engaging 404 page templates in minutes without coding.

For example, 404page lets you customize:

🎨 Drag and drop editor
🔖 Brand fonts, colors and assets
📝 Tailored messages for users and search bots
🔗 Related category and page links
🙂 Annotated images and graphics

Investing a small amount of effort into an own-branded 404 page pays off through improved user perceptions and ongoing traffic recovery.

Fixing 404 errors should be a top priority for any content-focused WordPress site. Following this prescriptive guide will help you seamlessly track, redirect and beautify 404s – saving lost organic traffic and avoiding dire ranking impacts.

The key is using a purpose-built plugin like Redirection combined with an engaging custom 404 page suited to your brand.

What questions do you still have around resolving frustrating 404 errors in WordPress? Let me know in the comments!