Define 404

1. What does 404 mean?
2. Why is it called 404?
3. What does a soft 404 mean?

What does 404 mean?

The HTTP 404 Not Found response status code indicates that the server cannot find the requested resource. Links that lead to a 404 page are often called broken or dead links and can be subject to link rot.

Why is it called 404?

The first 4 of the HTTP “404” actually indicates a client error like a misspelled URL or a moved page. The “0” points to a general syntax error like a spelling mistake, and the last “4” indicates the specific error in the family of “40-” errors which includes “400: Bad Request” and “403: Forbidden.”

What does a soft 404 mean?

A soft 404 error happens when the server sends a 200 OK status for the requested page, but Google thinks that the page should return a 404. It may do this if the page content looks like an error, or, if there's no content.