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Google Search Console Soft 404 Error: What It Means, Why Google Detects It, SEO Impact, and How to Fix It

Google Search Console may sometimes send website owners an email with the subject “New reason preventing your pages from being indexed” and identify the reas...

Bison Technical Team Enterprise IT specialists

Updated 20 Aug 2026 18 min read 0 total views

Google Search Console may sometimes send website owners an email with the subject “New reason preventing your pages from being indexed” and identify the reason as:

Soft 404

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This notification can be confusing because the affected URL may open in a browser without showing a traditional 404 – Page Not Found error.

A Soft 404 is different from a normal 404. In many cases, the web server tells Google that the page loaded successfully with an HTTP 200 OK response, but Google examines the page and concludes that it effectively behaves like a missing, empty, invalid, or useless page.

This article explains what a Soft 404 is, why Google detects it, how it affects indexing and SEO, how to diagnose the affected URLs, and how to correctly fix the problem on PHP, WordPress, and other websites.

1. What Is a Soft 404?

A normal missing page should usually return:

HTTP/1.1 404 Not Found

However, suppose somebody visits:

https://example.com/view_article.php?id=999999

and article ID 999999 does not exist.

Instead of returning HTTP 404, the PHP application displays:

Article Not Found

but the server response remains:

HTTP/1.1 200 OK

From the server's perspective, the request was successful.

From Google's perspective, there is effectively no useful page.

Google may therefore classify the URL as a Soft 404.

In simple terms:

Soft 404 = the server says the page exists, but Google believes the page effectively does not exist or has insufficient meaningful content.

2. Normal 404 vs Soft 404

There is an important technical distinction.

Proper 404

URL:

https://example.com/nonexistent-page

Server:

HTTP/1.1 404 Not Found

Page:

Sorry, this page could not be found.

This is a proper 404 response.

Soft 404

URL:

https://example.com/nonexistent-page

Server:

HTTP/1.1 200 OK

Page:

Page Not Found

Google recognizes that the content represents a missing page even though the server claims the request was successful.

Google can consequently classify it as Soft 404.

3. Why Did Google Search Console Send This Notification?

Google continuously crawls websites and reevaluates URLs it discovers.

Search Console may therefore suddenly report:

“New reason preventing your pages from being indexed – Soft 404.”

This does not necessarily mean something recently broke.

Google may have:

discovered previously unknown URLs;
recrawled old URLs;
reevaluated previously indexed pages;
found URLs through internal links;
discovered them from an XML sitemap;
followed links from another website;
found parameter-based URLs;
found obsolete database-generated pages;
reevaluated thin pages;
detected changes in the website's response behavior.

Therefore, the first step should be identifying which URLs Google has classified as Soft 404.

4. Common Causes of Soft 404 Errors

Cause 1 – Missing Page Returns HTTP 200

This is one of the most common causes.

For example:

if (!$article) {
    echo "Article not found";
}

Unless the application changes the HTTP status, PHP can still return:

200 OK

A better implementation is:

if (!$article) {
    http_response_code(404);
    echo "Article not found";
    exit;
}

Now the server correctly informs search engines that the requested resource does not exist.

5. Deleted Articles or Products Still Returning 200

Database-driven websites frequently generate URLs such as:

/view_article.php?id=123
/product.php?id=500
/category.php?id=20

Suppose article 123 is deleted from the database.

The PHP page may still execute normally and display:

No Article Found

while returning HTTP 200.

This is a classic candidate for Soft 404 classification.

The application should normally return 404 Not Found when the requested database record does not exist.

6. Redirecting Every Invalid URL to the Homepage

Another common mistake is redirecting every missing URL to the homepage.

For example:

/nonexistent-page

redirects to:

https://example.com/

Website owners sometimes do this believing it improves SEO.

Usually, it does not.

If there is no meaningful replacement for the missing page, sending every invalid URL to the homepage can confuse users and search engines.

Google can treat irrelevant redirects as Soft 404s.

7. Very Thin Content

Sometimes the URL genuinely exists but contains almost no useful information.

For example:

How to Configure Google Workspace

Information coming soon.

Google may decide that the page does not provide enough meaningful content to justify indexing.

This does not mean every short page becomes a Soft 404. A concise page can be useful. The problem is pages that appear effectively empty, incomplete, or nonfunctional.

8. Empty Dynamic Pages

Dynamic PHP websites may create technically valid pages even when the database query returns no useful information.

Example:

Title:
Description:
Author:
Content:

The template loads correctly, but there is effectively no content.

Because the server returns 200 while the page contains little or nothing meaningful, Google may classify it as a Soft 404.

9. Broken Database Records

Suppose an article database contains an ID but its important fields are empty.

Example:

Article ID: 1267
Title:
Content:
Keywords:

Technically the record exists.

Practically, the resulting page may have no useful information.

Google may classify such URLs as Soft 404 or simply choose not to index them.

10. Placeholder Pages

Pages containing messages such as these can cause problems:

Coming Soon
Under Construction
No Information Available
Product Unavailable
Article Not Available
Content Coming Soon

If the URL otherwise returns HTTP 200, Google may determine that the page behaves like a missing resource.

11. Incorrect Rewrite Rules

Apache .htaccess rules can also create Soft 404 problems.

For example, a rule might send every unknown URL to:

index.php

The homepage then loads with HTTP 200.

Google requested:

/random-invalid-url-12345

but received the homepage.

This can create large numbers of invalid URLs that appear technically successful.

12. Difference Between 404 and 410

Both HTTP responses tell search engines that content is unavailable, but they have slightly different meanings.

404 Not Found

HTTP 404

means that the requested resource cannot currently be found.

410 Gone

HTTP 410

explicitly indicates that the resource has been intentionally removed.

For permanently deleted content with no replacement, either may be appropriate depending on the site's design and circumstances.

Do not automatically convert every Soft 404 into 410. Use the status code that accurately describes the resource.

13. When Should You Use a 301 Redirect?

A 301 redirect should normally be used when the missing page has a genuine replacement.

Example:

Old article:

/windows-server-2019-rdp-guide

New replacement:

/windows-server-rdp-complete-guide

Then:

Old URL
      ↓
301 Redirect
      ↓
Relevant New URL

This makes sense because both pages address substantially related content.

Do not blindly redirect hundreds of deleted pages to the homepage.

14. How to Find Soft 404 URLs in Search Console

Open Google Search Console and select the relevant property.

Navigate to the Page indexing report and locate the Soft 404 reason under pages that are not indexed.

Open the issue to examine example URLs reported by Google.

The exact interface labels can change over time, but the objective is to obtain the actual affected URL list before modifying the website.

15. Test Individual URLs with URL Inspection

Search Console's URL Inspection feature is extremely useful.

Enter an affected URL.

Review information such as:

indexing status;
whether Google knows the URL;
canonical information;
crawling details;
page availability;
indexing eligibility.

You can also use Test Live URL when appropriate to check the current version of the page.

This distinction matters because Search Console reports may reflect Google's last crawl rather than a change you made a few minutes ago.

16. Check the Actual HTTP Status Code

Do not rely only on what appears visually in Chrome or Edge.

The HTTP response is critical.

On Windows, Linux, or macOS with curl available, you can test:

curl -I https://example.com/nonexistent-page

A genuine missing page should normally show something similar to:

HTTP/1.1 404 Not Found

If you receive:

HTTP/1.1 200 OK

while the page says “Not Found,” you have found a likely Soft 404 implementation problem.

17. Important Test for PHP Websites

For a database-driven knowledgebase, test an article ID that definitely does not exist.

For example:

https://example.com/view_article.php?id=999999999

Then check its HTTP response.

If the response is:

200 OK

and the page displays:

Article not found

the PHP application should normally be corrected to return HTTP 404.

Example:

if (!$article) {
    http_response_code(404);
    include '404.php';
    exit;
}

This gives both users and search engines a proper missing-page response.

18. A Good PHP 404 Implementation

A simplified example is:

<?php

$id = isset($_GET['id']) ? intval($_GET['id']) : 0;

if ($id <= 0) {
    http_response_code(404);
    include '404.php';
    exit;
}

// Query database here.

if (!$article) {
    http_response_code(404);
    include '404.php';
    exit;
}

The important point is not merely displaying a 404 design.

The HTTP response itself must be correct.

19. Your 404 Page Can Still Be User-Friendly

Returning HTTP 404 does not mean the visitor must see an ugly server-generated page.

You can create a professional custom page containing:

Article Not Found

The requested article may have been moved or removed.

You may also provide:

search box;
knowledgebase homepage link;
popular categories;
recently updated articles;
contact/support link.

The page can look like the rest of your website while still returning:

HTTP 404

This provides good usability without misleading search engines.

20. Check Your XML Sitemap

Your sitemap should generally contain URLs that you actually want Google to crawl and consider for indexing.

If deleted or invalid pages remain in:

sitemap.xml

Google may repeatedly discover them.

After removing an article, product, or other record, make sure your sitemap generator does not continue publishing its obsolete URL.

For a database-generated sitemap, the query should normally select only valid, publicly accessible content.

21. Check Internal Links

A Soft 404 URL may continue being discovered because another page links to it.

Check:

homepage links;
article links;
category pages;
related article sections;
navigation menus;
footer links;
manually inserted links;
old blog posts;
sitemap;
XML feeds.

Broken internal links should be corrected or removed.

22. Check Canonical Tags

Suppose the page is:

https://example.com/article.php?id=123

but the canonical tag points to an unrelated or invalid URL.

Incorrect canonical configuration can contribute to indexing confusion.

A valid page should normally specify its correct preferred canonical URL.

For example:

<link rel="canonical" href="https://example.com/article.php?id=123">

The exact canonical strategy should reflect the site's URL structure.

23. Soft 404 vs noindex

These are different situations.

noindex

The website explicitly tells Google:

<meta name="robots" content="noindex">

Meaning:

Do not index this page.

Soft 404

Google itself determines that the URL effectively represents missing or insufficient content despite the server response.

Therefore, removing noindex does not fix a Soft 404.

You must determine why Google believes the page behaves like a missing page.

24. Soft 404 vs robots.txt

robots.txt primarily controls crawling.

It does not turn an invalid URL into a valid page.

Therefore, adding or removing a robots.txt rule is not normally the primary fix for a Soft 404.

The correct solution is usually fixing:

content;
status codes;
redirects;
invalid URLs;
sitemap entries;
internal links.

25. What to Do If the Page Should Exist

If Google classifies a page as Soft 404 but you actually want it indexed, investigate the page itself.

Check whether it has:

a descriptive title;
meaningful original content;
sufficient information to satisfy the search intent;
proper headings;
images where useful;
internal links;
valid HTTP 200 response;
correct canonical;
no accidental noindex;
no broken database content.

Do not simply add filler text to make a page longer. The goal is useful, substantive content.

26. What to Do If the Page Should NOT Exist

If the URL is genuinely invalid or the resource has been permanently removed and there is no relevant replacement:

Return:

404 Not Found

or, where appropriate:

410 Gone

Also remove the URL from:

XML sitemap;
internal navigation;
related content;
category pages;
other internal links.

It is perfectly normal for genuine missing URLs not to be indexed.

27. What to Do If the Page Has Moved

If a page has moved to a substantially equivalent new URL, use a permanent redirect.

Example:

Old URL
     ↓
301
     ↓
New relevant URL

Then update your:

internal links;
sitemap;
canonical tags;
navigation references.

Ideally, internal links should eventually point directly to the final URL rather than relying indefinitely on redirects.

28. Should Every Search Console Soft 404 Be Fixed?

No.

A Soft 404 report is important, but not every excluded URL needs to become indexed.

For example, Google may discover:

/article.php?id=999999

when that article does not exist.

You do not want Google to index it.

The appropriate fix is ensuring that the URL behaves as a genuine missing page, not creating artificial content merely to get it indexed.

The objective should be:

Correct technical behavior and useful indexing — not maximum indexed URL count.

29. Does Soft 404 Damage SEO?

A few genuine missing pages are normal.

The larger concern is when a website generates hundreds or thousands of Soft 404 URLs because of:

programming errors;
broken routing;
invalid database IDs;
poor redirects;
empty templates;
bad sitemap generation;
deleted pages;
parameter combinations.

At scale, these problems can make crawling less efficient and make it harder for search engines to understand the site's valid URL inventory.

The SEO priority should therefore be preventing systematic generation of useless URLs.

30. Why Large Knowledgebase Websites Should Pay Attention

Knowledgebase sites frequently use database-driven URLs such as:

view_article.php?id=1175

This structure is completely workable, but the application must properly handle invalid IDs.

A good request flow is:

Visitor requests article ID
          ↓
Validate ID
          ↓
Query database
          ↓
Does record exist?
       /        \
     Yes         No
      ↓           ↓
Display       Return 404
article       + custom page
      ↓
HTTP 200

This prevents invalid IDs from generating endless HTTP 200 pages.

31. Validate Query Parameters

PHP websites should validate query parameters carefully.

Instead of blindly processing:

?id=abc
?id=-10
?id=
?id=999999999999

validate the input before querying the database.

Example:

$id = filter_input(INPUT_GET, 'id', FILTER_VALIDATE_INT);

if (!$id || $id <= 0) {
    http_response_code(404);
    include '404.php';
    exit;
}

This also improves application robustness.

For database queries, parameterized/prepared statements should be used rather than inserting user input directly into SQL.

32. Test Random Invalid URLs

A very useful technical SEO test is deliberately requesting nonsense URLs.

Examples:

https://example.com/this-page-does-not-exist-983475

and:

https://example.com/view_article.php?id=987654321

Both should behave appropriately.

If either unexpectedly loads the homepage with HTTP 200, your routing configuration may require attention.

33. Check `.htaccess`

Apache websites often use rewrite rules.

For example:

RewriteEngine On

is perfectly normal.

However, overly broad rules can send every request to index.php.

Your application must then determine whether the requested route actually exists and return 404 when it does not.

A front controller is not itself a problem.

Returning HTTP 200 for every possible route is.

34. Check Whether the Homepage Is Being Used as a Fake 404

This is particularly important.

Request:

https://example.com/random-garbage-url-123456

If the response shows the homepage, inspect the HTTP status.

If it is:

200 OK

you may have a routing problem.

A random nonexistent URL should not normally masquerade as a valid homepage URL.

35. Check Search Pages and Empty Categories

Soft 404s can also occur with pages such as:

/search?q=xyz123
/category/empty-category
/tag/unused-tag

If these pages contain no meaningful results, consider whether they should be indexable at all.

Search-result pages, filtered URLs, parameter pages, and tag archives need a deliberate indexing strategy rather than being allowed to generate unlimited crawlable URLs.

36. Avoid Automatically Indexing Every Parameter Combination

Dynamic sites can unintentionally create huge numbers of URLs.

For example:

?page=1
?page=2
?sort=asc
?sort=desc
?filter=a
?filter=b
?id=123&ref=x

Search engines may discover many combinations.

Ensure that your website has a controlled URL architecture with appropriate:

canonicalization;
internal linking;
sitemap generation;
indexing directives;
redirect rules.

37. Should You Click “Validate Fix” Immediately?

Usually, first correct and test the underlying problem.

A sensible sequence is:

Open the Soft 404 report.
Review affected URLs.
Determine whether each URL should exist.
Correct HTTP responses, content, or redirects.
Test representative URLs manually.
Test them through URL Inspection where appropriate.
Update internal links and sitemap.
Deploy the correction.
Then start Search Console's validation process if the report offers that option.

Clicking Validate Fix without actually correcting the cause does not solve the problem.

38. Google May Take Time to Reprocess the URLs

Search Console reports are not always updated immediately.

After correcting your website, Google must generally crawl and process the affected URLs again.

Therefore, do not assume the repair failed merely because Search Console still shows the issue immediately after the change.

39. Recommended Decision Matrix

Situation	Recommended Action
Page exists and has useful content	Return 200
Page exists but is thin/incomplete	Improve the page if it should be indexed
Page does not exist	Return 404
Page intentionally and permanently removed	Consider 404 or 410 as appropriate
Page moved to equivalent replacement	301 redirect
Deleted page has no equivalent replacement	Do not redirect blindly to homepage
Invalid database ID	Return 404
Empty database record	Correct/delete record or provide meaningful content
Invalid URL loads homepage	Correct routing
Deleted URL remains in sitemap	Remove from sitemap
Broken internal link	Correct or remove link

40. Recommended Technical Audit After Receiving a Soft 404 Warning

Do not investigate only the URL Google happened to report.

Test the overall site behavior.

Check:

Valid article URL
Invalid article ID
Deleted article ID
Random nonexistent URL
Homepage
Category page
Empty category
Search-result page with no results
Old/deleted URL
Redirected URL
XML sitemap
Canonical tags
internal links
HTTP status codes
robots directives

This helps determine whether the warning represents one bad URL or a site-wide routing problem.

41. Example of Correct Behavior for a Knowledgebase

Suppose:

/view_article.php?id=1175

is a valid article.

Response:

200 OK

Correct.

Now suppose:

/view_article.php?id=999999

does not exist.

Response:

404 Not Found

Correct.

Suppose article 1175 was replaced by article 1250.

If article 1250 is genuinely the direct replacement, you could use:

Correct.

But redirecting every nonexistent ID to:

is generally not a good replacement strategy.

42. Additional PHP Security Consideration

While fixing invalid IDs, avoid SQL queries such as:

$sql = "SELECT * FROM articles WHERE id=" . $_GET['id'];

Use prepared statements instead.

For example:

$stmt = $conn->prepare("SELECT * FROM articles WHERE id = ?");
$stmt->bind_param("i", $id);
$stmt->execute();
$result = $stmt->get_result();

Although SQL security is a separate issue from Soft 404s, invalid URL handling is a good opportunity to verify that input validation and database queries are implemented safely.

43. Important SEO Principle

A website does not need every URL Google discovers to be indexed.

A healthy site can legitimately have many 404 URLs over its lifetime.

The objective is that:

Valid URLs return valid content.

Invalid URLs return appropriate error responses.

Moved URLs redirect to relevant replacements.

Search engines are not presented with thousands of meaningless HTTP 200 pages.

44. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q1. What does Soft 404 mean in Google Search Console?

A Soft 404 means Google believes a page effectively behaves like a missing or unusable page even though the server may not be returning a genuine HTTP 404 response.

Q2. Is Soft 404 the same as 404 Not Found?

No. A genuine 404 returns HTTP status 404. A Soft 404 is Google's classification of a URL that appears to represent missing or insufficient content despite another server response, commonly HTTP 200.

Q3. Why does my page show “Page Not Found” but Google reports Soft 404?

The page may visually display “Page Not Found” while the web server still returns HTTP 200 OK.

Q4. How can I check the HTTP status?

You can use:

curl -I https://example.com/page

or another HTTP response/header testing tool.

Q5. Should a nonexistent PHP article return 404?

Normally, yes. If the requested database record does not exist, returning HTTP 404 is generally appropriate.

Q6. Should I redirect every deleted page to my homepage?

No. Use a redirect when there is a genuinely relevant replacement. Otherwise, a proper 404 or 410 may be more accurate.

Q7. Can thin content cause Soft 404?

Yes. Pages containing almost no useful content may sometimes be interpreted as Soft 404s.

Q8. Can an empty database page cause this problem?

Yes. A template returning HTTP 200 with no meaningful database content is a common candidate.

Q9. Should I remove Soft 404 URLs from the sitemap?

If the URLs are invalid, deleted, or not intended to exist, they should generally not remain in your XML sitemap.

Q10. Can incorrect `.htaccess` rules cause Soft 404?

Yes. Rewrite rules that make every nonexistent URL load a valid-looking page with HTTP 200 can contribute to Soft 404 problems.

Q11. Can I use HTTP 410 instead of 404?

Yes, when it accurately represents intentionally removed content. Do not use 410 simply because Search Console says Soft 404.

Q12. Does a 404 page have to look ugly?

No. You can create a fully customized, professional 404 page while still returning the correct HTTP 404 status.

Q13. Can I add a search box to my 404 page?

Yes. This is useful for knowledgebase websites because visitors can search for another relevant article.

Q14. Is Soft 404 caused by robots.txt?

Usually not directly. Soft 404 is primarily about Google's interpretation of the requested page and its server/content behavior.

Q15. Is Soft 404 the same as noindex?

No. noindex is an explicit indexing instruction. Soft 404 is a classification Google makes based on the page it encounters.

Q16. Should I request indexing after fixing the page?

If the URL is valid and should appear in Google, URL Inspection can be used to test the page and request indexing where available.

Q17. Should I request indexing for a genuine 404 page?

No. If the page genuinely does not exist, there is no reason to try to get that URL indexed.

Q18. Can deleted knowledgebase articles create Soft 404s?

Yes, particularly if their URLs continue returning HTTP 200 after the database records have been deleted.

Q19. Can invalid article IDs create thousands of Soft 404 pages?

Potentially. If your application accepts arbitrary IDs and returns HTTP 200 for all of them, countless invalid URLs could technically appear valid to crawlers.

Q20. Does Google automatically discover invalid URLs?

It can discover URLs through links, old crawls, sitemaps, external sites, parameter variations, redirects, and other sources.

Q21. Will fixing Soft 404 immediately remove the warning?

Not necessarily. Google generally needs to recrawl and reprocess the affected URLs.

Q22. Should I click Validate Fix?

Yes, after correcting and testing the underlying problem, if Search Console provides validation for that issue.

Q23. What if Google calls a genuine article a Soft 404?

Inspect its content, HTTP status, canonical, indexing directives, rendering, and whether Google can access the meaningful content.

Q24. Is a short article automatically a Soft 404?

No. Length alone is not the deciding factor. A short page can still completely answer a user's question.

Q25. What is the most important Soft 404 test for a PHP knowledgebase?

Request a nonexistent database ID and verify that the server returns HTTP 404 rather than HTTP 200.

Conclusion

A Google Search Console Soft 404 warning should not be treated simply as a request to “get more pages indexed.”

It is primarily a signal to investigate whether the website is accurately communicating which URLs contain real content.

For database-driven PHP and knowledgebase websites, pay particular attention to:

Invalid IDs
Deleted records
Empty records
Random URLs
HTTP status codes
Rewrite rules
Homepage redirects
Sitemaps
Internal links
Canonical URLs

The ideal behavior is straightforward:

Valid useful page → HTTP 200

Missing page → HTTP 404

Intentionally removed page → HTTP 404/410 as appropriate

Moved page with a true replacement → HTTP 301 → relevant new URL

Correct status codes combined with useful content and a clean internal URL structure make it much easier for search engines to distinguish your real knowledgebase articles from invalid or obsolete URLs.

1. What Is a Soft 404?

2. Normal 404 vs Soft 404

Proper 404

Soft 404

3. Why Did Google Search Console Send This Notification?

4. Common Causes of Soft 404 Errors

Cause 1 – Missing Page Returns HTTP 200

5. Deleted Articles or Products Still Returning 200

6. Redirecting Every Invalid URL to the Homepage

7. Very Thin Content

8. Empty Dynamic Pages

9. Broken Database Records

10. Placeholder Pages

11. Incorrect Rewrite Rules

12. Difference Between 404 and 410

404 Not Found

410 Gone

13. When Should You Use a 301 Redirect?

14. How to Find Soft 404 URLs in Search Console

15. Test Individual URLs with URL Inspection

16. Check the Actual HTTP Status Code

17. Important Test for PHP Websites

18. A Good PHP 404 Implementation

19. Your 404 Page Can Still Be User-Friendly

20. Check Your XML Sitemap

21. Check Internal Links

22. Check Canonical Tags

23. Soft 404 vs noindex

noindex

Soft 404

24. Soft 404 vs robots.txt

25. What to Do If the Page Should Exist

26. What to Do If the Page Should NOT Exist

27. What to Do If the Page Has Moved

28. Should Every Search Console Soft 404 Be Fixed?

29. Does Soft 404 Damage SEO?

30. Why Large Knowledgebase Websites Should Pay Attention

31. Validate Query Parameters

32. Test Random Invalid URLs

33. Check .htaccess

34. Check Whether the Homepage Is Being Used as a Fake 404

35. Check Search Pages and Empty Categories

36. Avoid Automatically Indexing Every Parameter Combination

37. Should You Click “Validate Fix” Immediately?

38. Google May Take Time to Reprocess the URLs

39. Recommended Decision Matrix

40. Recommended Technical Audit After Receiving a Soft 404 Warning

41. Example of Correct Behavior for a Knowledgebase

42. Additional PHP Security Consideration

43. Important SEO Principle

44. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q1. What does Soft 404 mean in Google Search Console?

Q2. Is Soft 404 the same as 404 Not Found?

Q3. Why does my page show “Page Not Found” but Google reports Soft 404?

Q4. How can I check the HTTP status?

Q5. Should a nonexistent PHP article return 404?

Q6. Should I redirect every deleted page to my homepage?

Q7. Can thin content cause Soft 404?

Q8. Can an empty database page cause this problem?

Q9. Should I remove Soft 404 URLs from the sitemap?

Q10. Can incorrect .htaccess rules cause Soft 404?

Q11. Can I use HTTP 410 instead of 404?

Q12. Does a 404 page have to look ugly?

Q13. Can I add a search box to my 404 page?

Q14. Is Soft 404 caused by robots.txt?

Q15. Is Soft 404 the same as noindex?

Q16. Should I request indexing after fixing the page?

Q17. Should I request indexing for a genuine 404 page?

Q18. Can deleted knowledgebase articles create Soft 404s?

Q19. Can invalid article IDs create thousands of Soft 404 pages?

Q20. Does Google automatically discover invalid URLs?

Q21. Will fixing Soft 404 immediately remove the warning?

Q22. Should I click Validate Fix?

Q23. What if Google calls a genuine article a Soft 404?

Q24. Is a short article automatically a Soft 404?

Q25. What is the most important Soft 404 test for a PHP knowledgebase?

Conclusion

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33. Check `.htaccess`

Q10. Can incorrect `.htaccess` rules cause Soft 404?