How to Fix Blogger 404 Errors and Broken Links

 404 errors = Google drops your rankings. Broken links = users bounce + AdSense earnings fall.

In this tutorial, you'll find and fix all 404 errors and broken links in Blogger. Follow along and you'll recover lost SEO traffic in 2025.

Step 1: Find All 404 Errors in Google Search Console

You can't fix what you can't see. Find every broken URL first.

1. search.google.com/search-console → Left menu → Pages
2. Click "Not found (404)" → See list of URLs returning 404
3. Click each URL → Check "Referring page" to see which post links to it
4. Export list → Download CSV for tracking

Image: Search Console 404 error report with list of broken URLs

Step 2: Find Broken Links in Blogger Posts Free

Scan your whole blog for broken internal + external links.

1. Tool 1: Go to brokenlinkcheck.com → Enter your blog URL → Scan
2. Tool 2: Chrome Extension "Check My Links" → Open post → Click extension
3. Result: Red = broken, Green = working. Fix all red links
4. Run monthly: External sites die, your links break

Step 3: Fix 404 Errors with Blogger Custom Redirects

Redirect old broken URL to new working URL. Keeps SEO juice.

1. Blogger → Settings → Scroll to "Errors and redirects"
2. Click "Custom redirects" → Add
3. From: /2023/01/old-post.html → To: /2025/08/new-post.html
4. Check "Permanent" → Save
5. Test: Open old URL → Must redirect to new URL in 1 second

Step 4: Common Blogger 404 Error Fixes 2025

404 Reason	Why It Happens	Fix
Deleted post	You deleted post but links still exist	Redirect to similar post or homepage
Changed permalink	Edited post URL after publishing	Redirect old URL to new URL
Wrong URL in menu	Typo in Layout → Pages gadget	Layout → Edit menu → Fix URL
Image deleted	Deleted from Google Photos/Blogger	Re-upload image or delete img tag
Label page 404	Label has 0 posts	Delete label or add 1 post to it

Step 5: Create Custom 404 Page in Blogger

Default 404 = users leave. Custom 404 = keep users on site.

1. Theme → Edit HTML → Ctrl+F → Search <b:includable id='main'
2. Find <b:if cond='data:blog.pageType == "error_page"'> section
3. Replace default code with this:

<b:if cond='data:blog.pageType == "error_page"'>
<div style="text-align:center;padding:50px 20px;">
<h1 style="font-size:80px;margin:0;">404</h1>
<h2>Page Not Found</h2>
<p>Sorry, the page you want doesn't exist or was moved.</p>
<p><a href="/" style="background:#1a73e8;color:white;padding:12px 24px;text-decoration:none;border-radius:4px;">Go to Homepage</a></p>
<h3>Popular Posts:</h3>
<div class='PopularPosts'></div>
</div>
</b:if>

4. Save theme → Test: Open yourdomain.com/random404 → See custom page

Bad practice to avoid: Redirecting all 404s to homepage. Google calls it "soft 404" and penalizes. Only redirect to relevant page or show proper 404.

Important: After fixing redirects, Search Console → Pages → 404 error → Click "Validate Fix". Google re-checks in 2-4 weeks. Fix 404s before Core Web Vitals. Dead links kill SEO faster than slow speed.