OOPS, ERROR 404 - WHAT DO I DO?
The 404 error, also known as a "Page Not Found" error, is an HTTP status code that means the page you're trying to access doesn't exist. It's one of the most common errors on the web and can be caused by several different issues.
General introduction
404 errors are not uncommon. They can be caused by many things: a misspelled URL, an outdated bookmark, or even an old link that's no longer valid (for example, if you've moved your site to another domain). The good news is that 404 errors are usually not caused by malware or viruses. In fact, they're usually nothing more than a harmless mistake on the part of the user — someone typed in the wrong URL or clicked on something by accident.
There are two main reasons why people think their computers have been hacked when they get a 404 error: First, because it was once true (and still is) that hackers would trick users into visiting websites with infected ads and trick them into installing malware; Second, because some webmasters intentionally set up fake 404 pages as part of their SEO strategy so that search engines think they’re popular (they aren’t).
What is the 404 error?
A 404 error can occur for any number of reasons. The most common cause is when the user enters a URL that does not exist, or the webpage has been removed from the server. A 404 error will also occur if you have misspelled a URL, deleted your browser’s cookies and history, or tried to access a file on an un-indexed site (like through Google).
If you receive a 404 error, it means something went wrong with your request; it was not able to find what was requested by you. For example: If I go to my page named “website” and type in “https://www.website/page1/page2/page3″ into my browser address bar and hit enter; this will give me an error because I did not specify which page I wanted when using that address.
Fixing 404 errors
If your browser fails to load a page, it may be the result of one of several issues. Here are some suggestions to help you troubleshoot the issue:
- Check the page you are trying to access. Is it a broken link? If so, is there another page that's linked from it that works?
- Check the URL (for example www.example.com/error404). Ensure that there aren’t any capital letters or spaces where they shouldn’t be, particularly at the beginning of a URL or at its end (after a slash). You should also make sure that when typing out URLs by hand using regular brackets ([]) instead of angle brackets (), you don't accidentally add additional spaces after those brackets. For example, typing "http://www." might lead directly to an error message because "HTTP" doesn't exist in this context and therefore cannot function as a valid website address; but if you remove those unnecessary spaces between HTTP and www., then both components become valid web addresses on their own merits and will work properly when used together as needed!
Conclusion
In short, the 404 error is a pretty common issue for websites. While it isn't always easy to fix this problem in a timely manner, you can use these tips to help recover from a 404 error on your site.