Identifying 404 Errors in Google Analytics 4 (GA4)

To check for 404 pages in GA4:

1. Open GA4 and click on "Reports" in the left navigation.
2. Select "Engagement" followed by "Pages and screens."
3. In the search bar, type "404" or "page not found" to filter the results.

This will display a list of all pages with a 404 status code, allowing you to identify which URLs are generating these errors.

For example, if you see a URL like "https://www.yourwebsite.com/product-no-longer-available" in the list, it indicates that users are attempting to access a page that no longer exists, resulting in a 404 error.

To gain further insights:

• Click on a specific 404 page to view more details, such as the number of page views and unique visitors.
• Use the date range selector to analyze 404 errors over a specific period.
• Set up custom alerts to receive notifications when the number of 404 errors surpasses a certain threshold.

By regularly monitoring and addressing 404 errors, you can:

• Improve user experience by redirecting visitors to relevant, active pages.
• Preserve your site's search engine rankings by minimizing the number of broken links.
• Identify and fix issues with your site's navigation and internal linking structure.

Analyzing 404 Error Reports in Google Analytics

To access the 404 error reports in Google Analytics:

1. Navigate to the "Behavior" section in the left sidebar.
2. Click on "Site Content" to expand the submenu.
3. Select "All Pages" to view a comprehensive list of your website's pages.

In the "All Pages" report, look for the title of your 404 page—such as "Page Not Found" or "404 Error"—to identify all the URLs that led visitors to encounter 404 errors.

For instance, if your 404 page title is "Oops! Page Not Found," search for this phrase in the report. You'll see a list of URLs like:

• /discontinued-product
• /old-blog-post
• /broken-link

These are the specific pages that are causing 404 errors when users attempt to access them.

To gather more data on these 404 errors:

• Click on a specific URL to see the number of pageviews, unique pageviews, average time on page, and other metrics.
• Use the "Secondary dimension" feature to view additional information, such as the referral source or device category.
• Analyze the data over different time periods to identify trends or spikes in 404 errors.

By examining these 404 error reports in Google Analytics, you can:

• Prioritize which 404 errors to fix based on the volume of affected users.
• Identify potential issues with your site's navigation, internal linking, or external links from other websites.
• Create redirects to guide users from broken pages to relevant, active ones.

Resolving and Preventing 404 Errors with Google Analytics Insights

Armed with the data from Google Analytics, you can take action to fix existing 404 errors and prevent future occurrences:

• Review the list of 404 URLs and identify common patterns, such as outdated product pages or old blog posts.
• Decide whether to create permanent redirects (301) for each broken URL to a relevant, active page or restore the deleted pages if they are still valuable to your users.
• Update internal links on your website that point to the broken URLs to ensure a seamless user experience.

For example, if you notice that a significant number of 404 errors are due to an old product category that no longer exists, you can set up a redirect to guide users to the most relevant current category or a page explaining the change.

To stay proactive in managing 404 errors:

• Set up custom alerts in Google Analytics to notify you when the number of 404 errors exceeds a specific threshold.
• Regularly review your 404 error reports to identify and address new issues promptly.
• Implement a custom 404 error page that guides users back to your site's main content and encourages them to continue exploring.

By leveraging Google Analytics data to resolve and prevent 404 errors, you can ensure that your website maintains a strong user experience and search engine performance.

Regularly monitoring 404 errors in Google Analytics is essential for maintaining a user-friendly, healthy website. By identifying and addressing these errors, you not only improve your site's SEO but also enhance the overall user experience. Implement these steps today to start effectively tracking and resolving 404 pages, ensuring that your website visitors can easily find the content they seek and continue engaging with your brand.