This statement from Google clarifies a very widespread misconception in the SEO community: 404 errors do not constitute a penalizing factor in themselves. They are simply a normal signal indicating that a page does not exist or no longer exists.

Google specifies that these errors are part of the natural functioning of the web. Websites evolve, pages are deleted, URLs change, and this is perfectly acceptable to the search engine. The important thing is to understand that this does not reflect poor site quality.

The statement also addresses different ways to handle missing content and their consequences. Whether you choose a 404, a 410, a redirect, or even a 200 code with 404 content, each of these approaches has its particularities but none results in a direct penalty.

• 404/410 errors are normal and do not penalize SEO
• A 404 page is simply not indexed, it disappears from the Google index
• Redirects to the homepage are tolerated but not ideal for user experience
• A 200 code with 404 content is considered a temporary 404 error by Google
• The 410 error is treated equivalently to 404 by Google

This position from Google is consistent with what we observe in the field for several years now. Sites with a reasonable volume of 404 errors do not actually suffer any loss in rankings, provided that strategic pages remain accessible.

However, an important nuance must be made regarding crawl budget. If your site generates thousands of 404 errors that Googlebot continues to crawl, this can divert resources that would be better used on your active content. On small sites, this impact is negligible, but on large portals, it's an aspect to monitor.

The mention of redirects to the homepage as "acceptable" also deserves to be contextualized. While this practice does not technically harm SEO, it creates confusion for users and dilutes page authority. It is better to favor a real customized 404 page or a redirect to similar relevant content.

• Don't panic if your Search Console displays 404 errors: it's normal and not penalizing
• Create a customized 404 page that guides the user to relevant content rather than systematically redirecting to the homepage
• Favor targeted 301 redirects to similar or category content rather than to the homepage
• Avoid soft 404s (200 code with 404 content) which create confusion and are considered temporary errors
• Audit your internal links to avoid pointing to deleted pages, which degrades user experience
• Monitor the volume of crawled 404 errors on large sites to optimize crawl budget
• Use the 410 code only for definitive and deliberate deletions (obsolete content, discontinued product)
• Set up monitoring of 404 errors on your old strategic pages to quickly identify broken external links
• Document your strategy for managing deleted content to maintain long-term consistency

Optimal management of 404 errors and redirects is part of a comprehensive technical SEO strategy that requires careful analysis of your architecture and objectives. For medium to large sites, implementing a policy for managing missing content can quickly become complex. Working with a specialized SEO agency allows you to benefit from personalized support to structure this approach, prioritize actions according to your specific context, and integrate this management into a broader SEO vision including crawl budget, internal linking, and user experience.