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Google’s search advocate, John Mueller, provided insight into Search Console’s validation process, looking at how it handles 404 errors and redirects during a site migration.
Key points
A Reddit user shared his experience with a client’s website migration that caused them to lose rankings.
They explained that they have taken several steps to address the issue, including:
- Solving technical problems on the spot.
- Redirecting 404 pages to appropriate URLs.
- Submitting these changes for review in Google Search Console.
Although they confirmed that all redirects and 404 pages were working correctly, they were unable to confirm the changes in Search Console.
Feeling frustrated, the user sought advice on what to do next.
This prompted a answer from Mueller, who provided insight into how Google is handling these changes.
Mueller’s response
Mueller explained how Google handles 404 errors and redirect checks in Search Console.
He clarified that the “mark as fixed” feature does not speed up Google’s reprocessing of website changes. Instead, it’s a tool for site owners to track their progress.
Mueller noted:
“Marking fixed here will just keep track of things being reprocessed. It will not speed up the reprocessing itself.”
He also questioned the purpose of marking 404 pages as fixed, noting that no further action is required if a page returns a 404 error on purpose.
Mueller adds:
“If they should be 404, then there is nothing to be done. 404 for pages that don’t exist are fine. It’s technically correct to make them return a 404. Just because they’re flagged doesn’t mean you’re doing anything wrong, if you’re doing a 404 on purpose.”
For pages that shouldn’t be 404’d, Mueller advises:
“If this isn’t meant to be a 404 – the important part is still fixing the problem, setting up redirects, returning new 200 content, checking internal links, updating sitemap dates, etc. If it’s not too long (days), then it will probably start up again quickly. If it’s been a long time and the new site has a lot of pages, then it will (perhaps obviously) take longer to reprocess.”
Key takeaways from Mueller’s counsel
Mueller made several key points in his response.
Let’s separate them:
For redirects and content updates
- Verify that the redirects are set correctly and the new content returns a 200 (OK) status code.
- Update internal links to reflect new URLs.
- Refresh the sitemap with updated dates to signal changes to Google.
Reprocessing timeline
- If the changes were made recently (within a few days), Google will likely process them quickly.
- For larger sites or older releases, reprocessing may take longer.
Handling 404 pages
- If the page no longer exists, the correct approach is to return a 404 error.
- Getting a 404 in Search Console doesn’t necessarily mean a problem, as long as the 404 is intentional.
Why this is important
Website migrations can be complicated and can temporarily affect search rankings if not done correctly.
Google Search Console is useful for tracking changes, but it has limitations.
The validation process checks whether the fixes are implemented correctly, not how quickly the changes will be made.
Be patient and ensure that all the technical details – redirects, content updates and internal linking – are adequately handled.
Featured Image: Sammby/Shutterstock
