What do the 404 errors in the backend mean?

In your Shoporama dashboard, you'll find a link to "See your 404 errors here". This guide explains what 404 errors mean, why they occur, and what you should do about them.

What is a 404 error?

A 404 error occurs when a visitor tries to access a page that doesn't exist. It can happen if:

• You have changed a URL (e.g. renamed a category from /long-sleeves to /long-pants)
• An external link points to a page that no longer exists
• A search engine has indexed an old URL

Why are 404 errors important?

404 errors have two consequences:

1. Poor user experience - the visitor doesn't find what they are looking for
2. Lost SEO value - if an external page links to a 404 page, you lose the link juice (SEO value) that the link would otherwise provide

What does the 404 overview show?

For each 404 error, Shoporama records:

• Page not found - the URL the user tried to access
• Referrer - where the user came from (e.g. a blog or search engine)

What should you do?

For the most important 404 errors, you should create redirects. Prioritize them where:

• There are many visitors who fall into the error
• A credible source links to the old URL
• You have an obvious replacement page to redirect to

Clean up 404 errors with AI

You can ask an AI assistant to review your 404 list and suggest relevant redirects. The AI can look at the URLs that fail, compare them to your existing categories and products, and suggest a suitable destination for each one - or create redirects directly.

This is especially useful after a shop redesign or if you have many old URLs from a previous shop system. The AI can also help sort out the real errors from the bot traffic.

Examples of prompts you can copy:

Show me the 20 most frequent 404 errors and suggest a redirect for each of them based on my categories and products.

Review all 404 errors that start with /product/ and create redirects to the new URL structure /products/.

Delete all 404 errors that look like bot traffic (e.g. /wp-admin, /administrator, .env) so I can concentrate on the real errors.

Read more about how you can control your shop with an AI assistant in the blog post Now you can control your entire webshop by chatting.

Fake 404 errors from bots

Some 404 errors originate from bots (automated programs) visiting your site. They can:

• Spoof referrer information to make it look like traffic is coming from other sites
• Visit URLs that never existed (e.g. /wp-admin or /administrator)

You can safely ignore these 404 errors - they are not real visitors and you don't need to create redirects for them.

Do you need help? Contact us at support@shoporama.dk.