Do missing pages return a proper error status?
It reports the saved site probe for a missing page that answered as successful content.
What Check Engine measures
The check uses the crawl's saved missing-page test result. A positive result produces a medium finding for a missing page returning HTTP status 200 instead of HTTP status 404. This check uses that earlier test. It does not make a new request or compare every article's text.
The check reads the site's saved missing-page test result. It needs no article sample or percentage of failed pages. Review the tested address and response before changing error handling.
How to read the result
The finding is medium severity. A false flag produces no finding from this check, which is narrower than proving that all possible missing addresses on the site return the correct response.
Why it matters
Successful statuses and not-found messages communicate different outcomes. The check highlights that disagreement so you can review the route handling rather than assuming that the visual error page alone defines the response.
How to fix it
Request a genuinely nonexistent address and inspect its response status as well as its appearance. Make the missing-page handler return the appropriate error while keeping useful navigation for the visitor. Avoid sending every unknown address to the homepage as successful content. Recheck the original probe case after changing the server or application route.
What we found in field audits
Problems in Crawlability & indexing were found on 12 of the 14 sites we audited. These are area totals. Read the field-audit method.
Method note
backend/seo_engine/checks/indexability.py, soft_404, revision 0bb8e8d3.
Common questions
What does the saved missing-page probe flag as a soft 404?
The saved probe can identify HTTP status 200 on a missing page where HTTP status 404 was expected. This mismatch gets a medium result.
Does the site-level soft-404 check make a fresh request?
No. The missing-page test result was saved earlier. This check reviews that record without another request.
Does a clear site-level soft-404 result prove every missing URL works correctly?
No. A false flag only clears this saved test. Other missing addresses may need separate response checks.