Ever clicked a link, expecting something useful, and landed on a plain “404 Not Found” page? It’s like showing up somewhere and finding the door locked. That’s how your visitors feel, too. Instead of letting them leave, you can just send them back to your homepage. Quick fix. Big difference.
Wait, What’s a 404 Page Again?
A 404 error indicates that the requested page doesn’t exist. It’s not a server problem. It’s just your site saying, “I don’t have that page anymore.” Perhaps it was deleted, renamed, or the link is incorrect. It happens.
So, Why Redirect to the Homepage?
Because it’s better than leaving people stuck, you give them a second chance to stay on your site.
1. It Keeps Visitors Around
People don’t like dead ends. If they land on a 404 page, most will hit the back button. However, if you send them to your homepage, they may continue browsing. Maybe they find what they’re looking for. Maybe they stick around longer. That’s a win.
2. It Helps (a Bit) With SEO
Google doesn’t love 404 errors. Too many of them, and your site starts to look neglected. Redirecting them won’t boost your rankings directly, but it helps in small ways:
- Bounce rate drops – people stick around longer
- Bots keep crawling – they don’t stop at a dead link
- Avoids soft 404s – more on that below
It’s not a magic SEO fix, but it keeps things cleaner.
3. It Makes You Look More Put-Together
A plain 404 page looks lazy. Redirecting shows that you care about user experience. It feels more professional, even if the fix is basic.
How to Do It
It depends on your setup.
Apache Server (.htaccess file)
If you’re using Apache, you can redirect all 404s by adding this to your .htaccess file:
ErrorDocument 404 /That sends anyone who hits a 404 straight to your homepage. Be careful though .htaccess files are touchy. One typo can break your whole site. Backup first. If you’re not confident, ask someone who knows what they’re doing.
WordPress or Other CMSs
If you use WordPress, it’s easier. Plugins like “Redirection” or “Yoast SEO Premium” have a checkbox or setting that allows you to redirect 404 errors. Look for something like “Send 404s to homepage.” Click it. Done.
Other platforms usually have similar plugins or settings. Search the plugin marketplace or documentation.
Manually Redirect 404s to Homepage in WordPress (No Plugin Needed)
If you don’t want to use a plugin, you can do it manually by editing your theme’s functions.php file. It’s quick and works well for simple 404-to-homepage redirects.
Here’s how:
Scroll to the bottom and paste in this code:
In your WordPress admin, go to:
Appearance → Theme File Editor
From the list of theme files on the right, select:
functions.php
function redirect_all_404_to_homepage() {
if (is_404()) {
wp_redirect(home_url(), 301);
exit;
}
}
add_action('template_redirect', 'redirect_all_404_to_homepage');
- Click Update File to save.
That’s it. Any 404 page will now automatically send users to your homepage.
Heads up:
- This adds a 301 (permanent) redirect, which is better for SEO.
- Always back up your site or the
functions.phpfile before editing. A small error can break your site. - If you change themes later, you’ll need to re-add this to the new theme’s file.
This is ideal if you want a lightweight solution without relying on third-party plugins.
Nginx or Custom Servers
If you’re using Nginx or a custom setup, you’ll need to edit your server config:
error_page 404 /index.html;
location = /index.html {
root /var/www/yourwebsite;
internal;
}Same idea: tell the server to send people to the homepage. However, be cautious when modifying server files, as it can lead to unintended consequences.
Redirecting Dead Links if Your Business Has Closed
If a business shuts down but its website remains live, redirecting broken links to the homepage is a quick fix that saves face. Say you had an online shop with hundreds of product pages. Those URLs are still floating around in Google’s index. People will click them for months, maybe years, after you’ve closed.
Instead of sending them to a dead page, just redirect everything to your homepage with a short message:
“This business is now closed. Thanks for your support.”
You only need one simple page and one redirect rule. That’s it. Nothing fancy. It clears out the old mess and avoids confusing customers.
But Hold On – Don’t Redirect Everything
Redirecting 404 errors isn’t always the best approach. There are some catches.
Soft 404s
This happens when a missing page shows a normal layout but returns a “200 OK” status (like everything’s fine). Google sees it as a real page and tries to index it, even though it’s empty. That’s bad. If you’re going to redirect, make sure the server sends a proper 404 before the redirect happens. The Apache method above does this right.
Losing SEO Value
If you had a popular page that moved, don’t just redirect it to the homepage. Redirect it to the new, correct page using a 301 redirect. That way, you keep the SEO value from the original link.
Annoying Your Visitors
If someone clicks a link expecting something specific, like a product page, and they always end up on your homepage, they’ll get frustrated. If there’s a better place to send them, like a similar product page or category, send them there instead.
Homepage redirects should be the fallback, not Plan A.
Two Quick Examples
Example 1: Use Homepage Redirect
You deleted a blog post years ago. No replacement. Someone clicks on an old link. Redirect them to the homepage. They might read something else instead of leaving.
Example 2: Don’t Use Homepage Redirect
You used to sell “Super Crunchy Granola” at /super-crunchy-granola. Now it’s called “Granola Max” at /granola-max. Redirect them to the new page, not the homepage. That’s what they wanted.
The Bottom Line
Redirecting 404s to your homepage keeps visitors on your site. It stops them from bouncing and helps with site hygiene. Just don’t overdo it. Use it for totally dead pages. If there’s a better redirect target, use that instead. Keep it useful, and don’t annoy people.
A generic 404 is like a shrug. A smart redirect is like saying, “Hang on, come check this out instead.