The 404 log

Overview

A 404 is an address that does not exist: an old link on another site, a typo, a page you deleted. Visitors who land there usually leave. The 404 log shows these addresses so you can send them somewhere useful.

Open RB Plugins → Redirection → 404 log.

What is recorded

One row per address, however often it is asked for:

Address — the path that was not found
Hits — how often
Last seen — when last
Came from — the page that linked to it, when the browser tells (an old partner page, a newsletter, a search engine)

Sort by Most hits first to see what matters most, or Most recent first. Search finds addresses.

Not recorded: what browsers and bots ask for on every site — the favicon, touch icons, robots.txt, .well-known files.

Fix a dead link

Click Redirect… in the row. The dialog opens with the address as the source: choose the target and save. The row gets a fixed mark, and Edit redirect opens that redirect later.

Redirects made here are marked From the 404 log in the list of redirects.

Keep the log tidy

Delete removes one address.
Clear the log forgets every recorded address (redirects are not touched).
Addresses not seen for 30 days are forgotten automatically, once a day — change the number of days in Settings.

Every other 404

In Settings → Every other 404 choose what happens to addresses that have no redirect:

Show the theme’s “not found” page — recommended: search engines see a real 404 and drop the address.
Send visitors to the home page
Send visitors to this address — e.g. a search page or a “start here” page, with code 302, 301 or 307

Sending every 404 elsewhere hides real problems from search engines; prefer redirects for the addresses that matter.

Documentation