How to Fix 404 Page Not Found Errors in WordPress: Ultimate Guide (2025)

You’ve clicked a link on your WordPress site, or worse someone followed a link from Google, and you land on a dreaded “404 Page Not Found” error. Frustrating for your visitor — and disastrous for your conversions, SEO, and brand trust.
In this guide for wpthrill.com, we’ll walk through why 404 errors happen, how they harm your site, and most importantly how to fix them — with practical, conversion-focused advice plus code snippets, so you can restore a smooth user experience and safeguard your search rankings.

Let’s dive in.

Why 404 Errors Happen in WordPress

Before we fix them, it’s worth understanding what causes those “404 Not Found” errors. Common triggers include:

• A permalink structure change or rewrite rules mis-configured so WordPress can’t map the URL to the correct content.

• The .htaccess file (for Apache) is missing or corrupted, so rewrite rules fail.

• A plugin or theme conflict that alters how URL routing works.

• The URL is simply wrong: maybe content was moved, deleted or slug changed without redirecting the old one.

• On local or custom server setups (Nginx, WAMP/XAMPP) the mod_rewrite or equivalent isn’t enabled.

Why 404 Errors Hurt Your Site (and Your Conversions)

1. User experience drop – When visitors land on a dead page, they leave. High bounce rate = lost potential leads or sales.

2. SEO impact – Search engines may interpret frequent 404s as signals of neglect. Pages returning 404 won’t be indexed.

3. Link equity lost – If external sites link to pages that now return 404, you lose the benefit of those backlinks (and the traffic) unless you redirect them.

4. Brand trust suffers – Even if only a few pages are broken, frequent 404s make your site look unmanaged or unreliable.

Hence: Fixing 404s is not optional. It’s a must for both SEO and conversion growth.

Step 1: Create a Full Backup Before You Start

Before you begin fiddling with permalinks, .htaccess, plugins, server settings — always backup your site (files + database). Why? Because some steps can inadvertently break things further.
Many hosts (and backup plugins) offer one-click backups. Do it now, so you can restore if things go sideways.

Step 2: Reset Permalinks (Often the Quick Fix)

One of the simplest and most common fixes is to flush the rewrite rules by resetting the permalink structure:

1. Go to your WordPress Dashboard → Settings → Permalinks.

2. Without changing anything, click Save Changes.

   • This forces WordPress to rewrite rewrite‐rules and update .htaccess (if writable).

3. After that, test the pages that were giving 404 errors. If they now load, you’re done.

If that fixes it, great! But if not, move on to the next steps.

Step 3: Check Your .htaccess File (For Apache Hosts)

If resetting permalinks didn’t fix it, the .htaccess file may be missing, corrupted, or not writable.

Typical default WordPress .htaccess content

(This matches what many host-support articles show.)

Steps

• Connect via FTP or your host File Manager and locate .htaccess in the root (same folder as wp-content, wp-includes).

• Download a copy (for backup).

• If .htaccess is missing, create it and paste the default rules above.

• Ensure permissions are set (often 644) so WordPress can read it. If WordPress couldn’t write it, you may temporarily set to 666, update permalinks, then revert to 644.

• If your server uses Apache but .htaccess rules aren’t working, confirm that AllowOverride All is set in your virtual host config so .htaccess files are processed.

After making changes, go back to Settings → Permalinks and click Save again. Then test your previously broken pages.

Step 4: Check for Plugin or Theme Conflicts

If your URLs and .htaccess look fine but you still get 404s, it’s time to look at plugins or your theme.

How to debug:

• Deactivate all plugins (temporarily).

• Check if the 404 error persists.

• If the error disappears, reactivate plugins one by one until you find the culprit.

• If plugins aren’t the issue, switch the theme to a default (e.g., Twenty Twenty-Four). If the error resolves, your theme is causing the problem.

• Also check any custom code snippets you may have added (via functions.php or snippet plugin) that may interfere with rewrite rules or permalink structure.

By isolating the plugin/theme conflict you can either update, replace or remove the faulty component.

Step 5: Check Server & Rewrite Module (Especially on Local or Non-standard Hosts)

If you’re on a local server (XAMPP, WAMP) or a host with custom Nginx/Apache settings, the rewrite module might not be active.

• On Apache, ensure mod_rewrite is enabled.

• On Nginx, the rewrite rules must be properly configured in nginx.conf or site config. Even if WordPress loads, pretty permalinks may return 404 if rewrite isn’t configured.

• Check directory permissions and AllowOverride directive (Apache).

• If you recently migrated hosts, ensure host’s config supports .htaccess overrides or “Pretty Permalinks”.

Step 6: Handle Moved or Deleted Content – Set up 301 Redirects

If your page legitimately has been moved, renamed or deleted, you still want to avoid 404s – instead redirect the old URL to the new one.

Why this matters:

• Preserves link equity from backlinks.

• Maintains user experience (they land somewhere useful instead of “not found”).

• Helps SEO by avoiding dead ends.

How to do it:

Option A: Use a plugin – For example, the popular Redirection plugin lets you monitor 404s and set 301 redirects easily. 
Option B: Manual via .htaccess – Add a line like:

(to your .htaccess, replacing with your URLs)

Bonus tip: Redirect all deleted posts to a useful landing page

If you have many old posts deleted, consider redirecting them to a relevant category or homepage. But make sure user still finds relevant content — avoid generic redirects that confuse.

Step 7: Monitor & Fix Internal Broken Links

After you’ve resolved the 404 issues, you’ll want to proactively monitor and fix future broken links to avoid 404-sprawl.

• Use Broken Link Checker plugin or external tools (Screaming Frog, Ahrefs) to crawl your site and detect broken links or 404s.

• Use Google Search Console → Coverage report → look for “404 Not Found” errors, so you know which URLs Google is trying to index but failing.

• Set up custom 404 pages (see next section) so even if a 404 happens, the user is guided somewhere useful rather than frustrated.

• Keep a redirect list so you avoid “chain redirects” (old → older → current) which slow user experience and hurt SEO.

Step 8: Create a Better 404 Page (Conversion Friendly)

Even after all fixes, you’ll always have some 404s (typos, old bookmarks, external sites linking wrong). Make sure your 404 page is not dead-end but an opportunity.

Best practices for a conversion-friendly 404 page:

• Use a friendly, on-brand message: “Oops, we couldn’t find that page.”

• Add a search box (so visitor can search your site).

• Provide links to your most popular posts or categories.

• Include a call-to-action (CTA), e.g., “Check out our latest blog posts” or “Discover our WordPress services”.

• Keep site header & footer consistent so user stays in your brand environment (not a generic server message).

• Log 404 hits (via plugin or analytics) so you can address recurring missing pages.

Example 404.php snippet for your theme:

You can tweak styling and content to match your theme, but the above gives a high-value UX fallback.

Step 9: Special Scenarios & Deep Troubleshooting

Scenario: Only admin area or certain pages returning 404

• Check Settings → Reading: your front page may be mis-configured.

• If /wp-admin returning 404: re-upload fresh wp-admin & wp-includes folders, check hosting security/firewall blocks.

Scenario: Moving site to a new domain or host

• Update WordPress Address & Site Address in Settings → General or directly in database (wp_options table: siteurl and home).

• Replace URLs in database (via plugin or SQL) if domain changed.

• Reset permalinks and check .htaccess.

Scenario: Nginx host

If you’re using Nginx (rather than Apache), .htaccess won’t apply. You’ll need to update your site’s server block with something like:

And ensure wordpress rewrite rules (for PHP) are correct.

Scenario: Caching / CDN issues

Sometimes 404s are caused by stale cache or CDN mis-routing.

• Clear cache plugin or host cache.

• Purge CDN (Cloudflare, etc.).

• Disable caching temporarily to test.

Scenario: File or directory permissions

If your server cannot read files, pages might return 404 or 403.

• Folders should typically be 755, files 644.

• If using FTP, check owner and group.

Checklist: 404 Errors Fix Summary

FAQs

Q1: What exactly is a “404 Page Not Found” error?
A 404 error is an HTTP status code indicating that the server cannot find the requested resource (page or file). In the context of WordPress, it typically means WordPress couldn’t map the URL to an existing post or page, or the web server rewrite rules failed.

Q2: Why am I getting 404 errors even though the page exists?
Often because of rewrite rule mismatch or .htaccess mis-configuration: the page exists but WordPress or the server cannot find it via the requested URL. Also possible: plugin/theme interference or a broken migration.

Q3: How can I test whether the problem is caused by the theme or plugins?
Deactivate all plugins and switch to a default theme. Then test the URL. If the error disappears, you’ve found the conflict. Reactivate one plugin at a time (or switch the theme back) to isolate the cause.

Q4: Will 404 errors harm my SEO?
Yes, if they occur on pages that visitors or search engines expect to find. Too many 404s can raise your bounce rate, reduce crawl efficiency, and affect how Google perceives your site’s quality.

Q5: Should I just redirect everything that returns a 404 to the homepage?
No—while tempting, redirecting everything to the homepage can confuse users and search engines (a “soft 404”). Better to redirect to the most relevant page or category, or ensure the content exists/has been restored.

Q6: My site uses Nginx instead of Apache, how do I fix 404s?
In Nginx you’ll need to update your server block or site config. For example, use try_files $uri $uri/ /index.php?$args; in the location / directive so WordPress permalinks work. Ensure PHP-FPM is running and rewrite rules are supported.

Q7: How do I monitor if new 404s appear in future?
Use Google Search Console’s Coverage report to see “Not Found (404)” entries. Use link-checking tools (Broken Link Checker, Screaming Frog) and monitor your analytics/bounce rates. Also archive recurring 404 URLs and decide whether to restore content or redirect them.

Conclusion

404 errors may feel like a nuisance, but they are fixable — and important to fix. For the best SEO and conversion results on your WordPress site, follow this structured workflow: backup, reset permalinks, fix .htaccess, check for plugin/theme issues, ensure server rewrite setup is correct, implement redirects for moved content, and build a strong 404 page to capture value even from dead links.

For your site on wpthrill.com, this means you’ll not only stop losing visitors to dead pages, but also protect your search rankings and give your audience a better experience. The better you handle 404s, the more visitors you convert, the stronger you appear in the eyes of Google, and the fewer leaks you have in your conversion funnel.

If you run into a specific tricky 404 (for example after migration, or with multisite, or an unusual host), just drop me the details and we’ll walk you through the fix step by step.