404

is 404.shtml a problem?

[colinf]

hello all,

i read a lot about 404 pages here, i have a 404.shtml in
my root folder /public_html/404.shtml (no special scripts, just normal text) which tells people that the file they are looking for still exist but the name has been changed and tells the visitor to go to the index page and search from there.

I uploaded these newly named files 2 months ago but they still have not been picked up, google has the old files in its results which dont exist anymore, hence the need for the 404.

Is it possible that this 404.shtml page is a problem for google
or is 2 months a bit too soon to expect the new pages to be indexed?

Thanks

Colinf

[vincevincevince]

Does the 404 page return proper 404 headers? Check them with a server header checker. Also, the google index is still messed up, with lots of very old data in it.

[Net_Wizard]

IMO, 404 redirect is not a problem for Google. I understand that some webmaster would recommend a 301 redirect but so far I have been using 404 for years now, redirecting permanently removed pages to my home page and have not encountered any problem with Google in regards to this method.

As vince*3 also have pointed out, the index currently is messed up, nothing to worry about.

Cheers

[colinf]

Thanks,

you have put me straight.

Colinf

[jdMorgan]

colinf,

You may wish to read WebGuerrilla's comment in msg #7 of this thread [webmasterworld.com], as it may be of some concern to you.

Jim