About
A page may become unavailable if it has been:
- moved
- deleted
- or renamed
In this case, the webserver should return a 404 web page along with a hard HTTP 404 response (meaning that the Page Was Not Found)
It hurts:
- and domain authority
Missing pages effect
User experience
Showing a 404 page, next to the fact that this is not really friendly, generally means that your users end their navigation with the following consequences:
- the bounce rate increases
- the number of page views decreases.
- and if you are showing ads, your revenue will decrease because you can't show ads on a 404 page as it's a violation of ad policies. (Example with Google Ads)
Domain Authority
domain authority is a SEO metrics based on external backlinks. (A external backlink is a hyperlink from a website to your website).
When your page does not exist and returns a 404 response, this backlinks are not validated and your are losing authority.
Solution
To avoid missing pages, ComboStrap:
- can create permanent url
- creates automatically redirect alias when pages are moved.
- allows you to create:
- and/or redirection rules
- implements automatic redirection.