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Soft 404 checker: do missing pages return a real 404 status?

Ask for a page that doesn't exist and your server should say so with a 404 status. Many single-page apps answer "200 OK" with the homepage instead. ShipPatrol checks.

Why it matters

Google calls these soft 404s. They can get junk URLs indexed and make it harder for Google to trust your status codes. A helpful 404 page also keeps lost visitors on your site.

How Patch checks

We request a made-up address on your site and look at the status code and what the page says.

How to fix it

  1. Configure your host to return status 404 for unknown paths, with a page that links back to your main sections.
  2. On static hosts this is usually a 404.html file or a "not found" rewrite rule; on Azure Static Web Apps use responseOverrides in staticwebapp.config.json.

Your own report goes further: it names the exact pages, services and settings Patch found on your site, and with a full report you get a fix prompt to paste into Lovable, Bolt or Cursor.

Where this applies

Applies to every site that wants search traffic.

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Patch runs "Missing pages don't return a 404" along with every other check, from the UK, the EU and the US. Free, no signup.

No signup needed. Not legal advice; every check names its source.

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