QA finding
An address that does not exist gets the wrong answer
QA Warning Severity: Medium
Part of the audit Error pages and server messages. Finding id: qa.notFoundPage.
What it costs you
People and search engines that ask for an address that does not exist are not told so in a useful way.
What to do
Answer unknown addresses with status 404 and a page in the site's own design that offers the menu, a search field or links to the main sections.
What it checks
- No custom page for missing pages
- Missing page reports success to search engines
How to fix it
Return status 404 for unknown addresses
- Find where unknown addresses are handled: in the CMS or application, or in the web server in front of it.
- Remove any catch-all redirect that sends unknown addresses to the home page.
- Make the handler send status 404.
How to check: Request an address that cannot exist, for example with curl -I: the status line says 404.
Give the 404 page the site's layout
Return 404 with a helpful page
- Find where unknown addresses are handled: in the CMS or application, or in the web server in front of it.
- Remove any catch-all redirect that sends unknown addresses to the home page.
- Make the handler send status 404 together with a page in the site's layout that links to the main sections.
How to check: Request an address that cannot exist, for example with curl -I: the status line says 404, and the page in a browser shows the site's menu.