How to Fix Soft 404 in Blogger

If you have been using Google Search Console for a while, there is a good chance you have seen the message “Submitted URL seems to be a Soft 404.”

The first time I saw it on one of my Blogger websites, I honestly thought something was seriously wrong with my site. I thought maybe Google was punishing my content or that my blog had developed some major technical issue overnight. But after spending time analyzing the problem, I realized soft 404 errors are common and usually fixable.

What Is a Soft 404 Error?

A soft 404 error happens when a page looks empty, broken, or missing to Google, but your website still returns a normal “200 OK” response.

In simple terms, your blog is telling Google:

“This page is fine.”

But the actual page may be:

• Empty
• Too thin
• Missing important content
• Redirecting to an unrelated page
• Showing a “page not found” message without a proper 404 response

Google then treats that page like a broken page even though it technically still exists. (Conductor)

A normal 404 error is different. A normal 404 tells search engines clearly that the page no longer exists. A soft 404 confuses Google because the page says it exists, but the content says otherwise. (Search Engine Journal)

Why Soft 404 Errors Happen in Blogger

Blogger websites often get soft 404 errors because of the way Blogger handles deleted posts, redirects, labels, and thin pages.

Some of the most common reasons include:

• Deleted posts that still have backlinks or are still in your sitemap
• Empty label pages
• Pages with very little content
• Broken image URLs
• Redirecting old URLs to the homepage
• Incorrect custom redirects
• Search result pages with no results
• Pages that show only a title and almost no content
• Contact pages with minimal content or broken forms

Why Contact Pages Often Trigger Soft 404

On Blogger, contact pages can easily become soft 404s because they often have very little content, usually just a contact form or a title. Google may see these pages as low-value if the form doesn't load correctly or the template doesn't display enough content.

I have experienced this myself. I created a simple contact page with just a form and a heading. Search Console flagged it as a soft 404 even though it was working fine for visitors.

How to Find Soft 404 Errors in Blogger

The easiest way to find soft 404 errors is through Google Search Console.

1. Log in to your Search Console account
2. Select your Blogger website property
3. Click “Pages” under Indexing
4. Look for “Soft 404”
5. Click it to see the affected URLs

You can then inspect each URL one by one.

Fix 1: Improve Thin Content

Thin content is one of the biggest reasons Blogger pages get flagged as soft 404.

If your post has:

• Only a few sentences
• No headings
• No images
• No useful information
• No internal links
• No proper formatting

Google may think the page has little value.

For contact pages, you can improve content by:

• Adding a short introduction or welcome message
• Explaining why visitors might want to contact you
• Including links to your main pages or helpful resources
• Adding alternative ways to reach you, like email or social media links

Expanding the page in this way tells Google that it has real value, not just a form.

Fix 2: Redirect Deleted Posts Properly

If you deleted a Blogger post, Google may still try to crawl it because it was already indexed or linked somewhere else.

Instead of leaving the deleted page broken, redirect it to the closest relevant page.

Do not redirect every deleted page to the homepage. Google may treat irrelevant redirects as soft 404s. (Sitechecker)

Fix 3: Remove Broken Internal Links

Broken internal links can trigger soft 404 errors.

Check your navigation menus, sidebar links, footer links, and old posts. Fix or remove any links pointing to deleted pages.

Fix 4: Fix Empty Label Pages

Blogger automatically creates label pages. If the label has only one weak post or no posts at all, Google may treat that page as thin content.

To fix this, add more posts to the label, merge small labels, or remove useless labels.

Fix 5: Check Custom 404 Page Settings

Your Blogger blog should show a proper 404 page when content no longer exists. Some themes create custom error pages that accidentally return a normal 200 status instead of 404, which can trigger soft 404s. (Search Engine Journal)

Fix 6: Avoid Redirecting Everything to the Homepage

Only redirect pages when there is a closely related replacement. Redirecting deleted pages to the homepage can be confusing for users and often triggers soft 404 errors.

Fix 7: Restore Important Deleted Posts

Sometimes the easiest fix is to republish the deleted page, especially if it had backlinks or traffic. This can instantly remove the soft 404 error after Google recrawls it.

Fix 8: Submit the URL for Reindexing

After fixing the page, request reindexing in Search Console using the URL Inspection tool.

Fix 9: Check if Google Can Render the Page Properly

Sometimes the page looks fine to visitors, but Google cannot load content due to scripts, slow-loading images, or heavy widgets. Test your pages and make necessary adjustments.

Fix 10: Improve User Experience

Ensure the page answers visitor questions, loads fast, has headings, images, and internal links. A well-structured page is less likely to be flagged as a soft 404.

For related guides, you can also check:

• SEO Tips for Beginners
• How to Fix Google Search Console Errors
• How to Rank Your Posts on Google
• Homepage

Best Practices to Prevent Soft 404 Errors

• Avoid publishing very short posts
• Do not delete posts unless necessary
• Redirect deleted posts to relevant alternatives
• Regularly check Search Console
• Fix broken links quickly
• Use strong internal linking
• Avoid empty label pages
• Keep your Blogger theme lightweight
• Update old posts instead of deleting them
• Make every page, including contact pages, useful

Finally

Soft 404 errors in Blogger can look scary, but they are usually fixable. Most issues come from thin content, deleted posts, broken redirects, empty pages, wrong internal links, and minimal contact pages.

Treat every page on your blog as valuable. Improve thin content, fix broken links, and enhance contact pages with more context and links. Once you do this, you will see fewer indexing problems and better SEO results.