Forwarding and 404 analysis
Finding defective landing pages, redirect chains and unnecessary detours
When redirects, 404 pages or technical legacy impair rankings, user guidance and technical quality.
- Personal care
- Agreed scope of services
Example Order: Old Relaunch URLs Lead to Void
Illustrative process · no published customer case. The binding scope is agreed in advance.
What you bring
Bring old URL lists, known 404 addresses, new page structure, and existing forwarding rules. URLs with accesses, internal links or known external references help to prioritize.
What we are investigating
We track status codes and forwarding chains and check whether the target fits content, is reachable and indexable. An intentionally removed page with no equivalent replacement will be treated differently than an accidentally lost offer.
What you continue to work with
The work result is a comprehensible assignment of source URL, target decision, current behavior and recommended target state. Rule patterns are described with positive and counterexamples so that they do not capture uninvolved URLs.
Performance limits
A blanket forwarding of all error pages to the start page is not a useful standard result. Server configuration, deployment and productive changes must be coordinated separately.
For whom is the performance suitable?
- Websites after relaunch, migration or structural restructuring
- Projects with many old URLs or technical legacy
- Teams that want to prioritize redirect quality and error pages
- Portals with noticeable 404, 3xx or link destination issues
What is actually being examined?
- 301, 302, 307 and 308 redirects
- Redirect chains, loops and unnecessary detours
- 404 pages, dead targets and faulty internal links
- Consistency of target versions, host and HTTPS logic
- Important old URLs, legacy paths and relaunch episodes
- Prioritization according to SEO risk and user impact
What do you get as a result?
- Clean classification of critical redirect and 404 problems
- Specific instructions for development and technical adjustment
- Better protection for relaunch and URL hygiene
- Less friction for Googlebot and users
Typical triggers
- Many 404 errors after relaunch or URL changes
- Unclear redirect logic or suspected chains
- HTTPS, host or target version issues
- Historically grown website with unclean URL hygiene
Expiry date
Short classification of the website, the problem and the desired focus.
Relevant page types, signals and anomalies are classified technically.
The most important patterns, risks and leverage are assessed in a structured manner.
You get clear priorities and concrete next steps instead of pure error lists.
Appropriate next steps
What we vote before the start
The entry offer includes the investigation, no implementation. Data accesses and additional URL groups are coordinated in advance. For a broad inventory, the 360° expert analysis fits.
FAQ
What is considered in the analysis? +
Redirects, target versions, chains, loops, dead pages, 404 problems and relevant internal link destinations.
Is it only worth it after relaunches? +
No. Growing websites with contaminated sites also benefit greatly from a systematic clean-up.
Is a redirect checker not enough? +
A checker helps with single URLs. The analysis prioritizes larger patterns, risks and structural weaknesses.
Does this also help with HTTPS or WWW problems? +
Yes. Such consistency problems are a typical part of the analysis.
Your personal contact: Matthias Gläßner
Senior web developer with SEO focus · Founder and owner of Seitenreport · TYPO3 lecturer at GFU
18+ years of experience: Matthias Gläßner has been supporting companies, agencies, associations and public agencies in web projects since 2007. His focus is on technical SEO, performance, web architecture and the further development of grown websites.
You discuss your task directly with the responsible contact person. Technical test data, personal classification and coordinated priorities form the basis of the cooperation.
Non-binding requests
Briefly describe your plans. Matthias Gläßner will contact you personally.
Price limits: from 790 € per work package plus VAT