Known as "Not Found" errors, 404 errors occur when a link attempts to resolve to a webpage that does not exist.
When links are "broken" in this manner, search engine rankings can become affected and visitors grow reticent to return.
Luckily, the broken links that cause 404 errors are easy to find and fix using Google's online webmaster resources, allowing you to ensure that all pages display correctly and without error.
Log into Google Webmaster Tools by entering your Google ID and password.
Add your website to your Google Webmaster Dashboard.
Type your domain name (everything in your URL before the first forward slash)
into the Dashboard text box.
Click the "Add Site" button.
Select a verification process.
Click the "Verify your site" link.
Select your desired verification route from the drop-down box labeled "Choose verification method."
Select "Add a meta tag" and paste the provided code in between the <HEAD></HEAD> tags of your homepage, or choose the "Upload an HTML file" option to upload a blank html file with the name specified by Google.
Verify ownership of your web domain.
Upload your amended home page or Google-named blank HTML file to your server, depending on the verification method you chose in Step 2.
Use an FTP program to transfer the file in question to your website.
Click the "Verify" button to complete the process.
Identify 404 errors.
Click the "Dashboard" link to view website errors.
Examine the "Detail" column and locate any web addresses that show "404 (Not Found)" results.
Click on the "Linked From" column for each identified 404 error to see the location of the page that contains the broken link.
Visit the page that contains the broken link.
Right-click on the broken link and select "Copy Shortcut" or "Copy Link Location."
Right-click in your browser's address bar and select "Paste" from the ensuing menu.
Examine the link in your address bar.
Look for stray quotation marks, spaces, periods or commas.
Remove everything before the first slash from the link and see if the domain still displays.
Fix broken links. Open a text editor and load the HTML file for the page in question.
Correct link typos and delete links that no longer lead to live websites.
Save your amended HTML files and re-upload them to your server using your FTP program.
Return to the Google Webmaster Tools Dashboard.
Click the "Sitemaps" link on the left navigation bar.
Click the "Resubmit" button to resubmit your website's sitemap.
Wait an average of four to six weeks for Google to re-index your amended website pages.
Hope this helps
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