Google’s Search Advocate, John Mueller, has provided insights into Search Console’s validation process, addressing how it handles 404 errors and redirects during site migrations.
Key Points
A Reddit user shared their experience with a client’s website migration that led to a loss in rankings.
They explained that they took several steps to address the issues, including:
Fixing on-site technical problems.
Redirecting 404 pages to the appropriate URLs.
Submitting these changes for validation in Google Search Console.
Although they confirmed that all redirects and 404 pages were working correctly, they failed to validate the changes in Search Console.
Feeling frustrated, the user sought advice on what to do next.
This prompted a response from Mueller, who provided insights into how Google processes these changes.
Mueller’s Response
Mueller explained how Google manages 404 errors and redirect validations in Search Console.
He clarified that the “mark as fixed” feature doesn’t speed up Google’s reprocessing of site changes. Instead, it’s a tool for site owners to monitor their progress.
Mueller noted:
“The ‘mark as fixed’ here will only track how things are being reprocessed. It won’t speed up reprocessing itself.”
He also questioned the purpose of marking 404 pages as fixed, noting that no further action is needed if a page intentionally returns a 404 error.
Mueller adds:
“If they are supposed to be 404s, then there’s nothing to do. 404s for pages that don’t exist are fine. It’s technically correct to have them return 404. These being flagged don’t mean you’re doing something wrong, if you’re doing the 404s on purpose.”