GLOSSARY TERM
What is Soft 404?
Definition
A page that returns HTTP status 200 (OK) but contains content suggesting it is missing or empty — like "no results found" or "product unavailable." Search engines treat them as low-quality.
Why it Matters for AI Search
Soft 404s waste crawl budget, dilute site quality signals, and clutter the index. Configure empty search results, removed products, and expired listings to return a real 404 or 410 status.
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