404 errors after pruning lead to drop in SERPS.

[Ace]

Final thoughts: For a post or thread that has been indexed, then deleted - google will 404 each post that it finds missing. These 404 errors WILL drop you in the SERP's.

My solution - you have to weigh out the cost/benefit of having that particular thread indexed and on your forum. This is tough since you don't know exactly how much it will hurt your rankings. If you can live with it, just close it up. If you can't, then delete it and pray that you don't drop too much.

I'm having trouble getting my head around this.

What phrase are we trying to get high rankings for? Any random phrase? For what page? The home page?

You think deleting a random thread will result in fewer SE results for the home page? I make this guess because it's pretty obvious you're not going to get many hits to a page that an SE thinks is 404.

Please elaborate on what brings you to this decision.

[wcguy]

It is my understanding that the more 404 errors a site has, the lower the quality of website, and therefore the lower the google "rank"....

I've spent the last week 301ing all of the reported google 404s and low and behold, my site has been creeping up and up and up..... Now #2 on my #1 search term. My home page has a google page rank of 6, yet before I started we wouldn't show up organically on the first 6 pages.

This is for a non forum site, but I assume google doesn't care what kind of site you are running.

[Ace]

websites don't appear in SE results.

webpages do.

If your theory was correct, I could make a whole lot of links to nonexistant pages on your site, pop them into my signature on forums around the web, and sit back and watch your entire google/msn/everything tank completely.

[bacemail]

I'm having trouble getting my head around this.

What phrase are we trying to get high rankings for? Any random phrase? For what page? The home page?

You think deleting a random thread will result in fewer SE results for the home page? I make this guess because it's pretty obvious you're not going to get many hits to a page that an SE thinks is 404.

Please elaborate on what brings you to this decision.

There are several key search phrases that I'm working hard at ranking for. When large threads that have been indexed get deleted, G 404's every single post. People who have done their SEO homework should know that G sees these 404's as an indication of a poorly constructed site. Poorly constructed sites do not rank as well as well constructed sites. Now, unfortunately, I have first hand knowledge that deleted threads and posts THAT HAVE ALREADY BEEN INDEXED become 404's - which in turn hurt you in the SERPs.

I don't know how many 404's a site can have before G starts penalizing, but you can bet that after a certain percentage, you will be penalized.

I think I've said all I can about the situation, and I hope that this information can help some of you.

[bacemail]

websites don't appear in SE results.

webpages do.


If your theory was correct, I could make a whole lot of links to nonexistant pages on your site, pop them into my signature on forums around the web, and sit back and watch your entire google/msn/everything tank completely.

Websites vs webpages???? Your point is moot.

You don't know SEO. Google is aware that you can't control who links to you. You don't get penalized for someone else's links.

Seems like there are only a few of us doing our homework here.

[bacemail]

It is my understanding that the more 404 errors a site has, the lower the quality of website, and therefore the lower the google "rank"....

I've spent the last week 301ing all of the reported google 404s and low and behold, my site has been creeping up and up and up..... Now #2 on my #1 search term. My home page has a google page rank of 6, yet before I started we wouldn't show up organically on the first 6 pages.

This is for a non forum site, but I assume google doesn't care what kind of site you are running.

OMG - thank you for your diligence. I can't believe that this is news to many.

[Ace]

I don't know how many 404's a site can have before G starts penalizing, but you can bet that after a certain percentage, you will be penalized.

I think I've said all I can about the situation, and I hope that this information can help some of you.

vBulletin does not send 404 status codes for deleted posts or threads. I don't know what your message is, but it's certainly not educational.

[Ace]

Websites vs webpages???? Your point is moot.

You don't know SEO. Google is aware that you can't control who links to you. You don't get penalized for someone else's links.

Seems like there are only a few of us doing our homework here.

Did you even read what I was responding to?

wcguy - "It is my understanding that the more 404 errors a site has, the lower the quality of website, and therefore the lower the google "rank"...."

If you also think webpage rank is website rank, there's definitely one of us who doesn't know SEO.

I'll point out now that you have yet to provide one scred of evidence that Google penalizes for 404s.

Google is aware that you can't control who links to you. You don't get penalized for someone else's links.

So, what you are saying is that your 'deleted pages' are being linked to.. but by you, and that's why you are being penalized? That's a pretty stupid thing to do then, don't you think?

[bacemail]

vBulletin does not send 404 status codes for deleted posts or threads. I don't know what your message is, but it's certainly not educational.

INDEXED THREADS. INDEXED THREADS, my friend.

When G comes around and finds threads that have already been indexed and are no longer there, you will get 404's for each post in that thread, and a 404 for the thread itself.

I've stated this many times.

I'm not sure why you are so adamant about denying this, but you do so at your own peril.

[bacemail]

Did you even read what I was responding to?

wcguy - "It is my understanding that the more 404 errors a site has, the lower the quality of website, and therefore the lower the google "rank"...."

If you also think webpage rank is website rank, there's definitely one of us who doesn't know SEO.

I'll point out now that you have yet to provide one scred of evidence that Google penalizes for 404s.


So, what you are saying is that your 'deleted pages' are being linked to.. but by you, and that's why you are being penalized? That's a pretty stupid thing to do then, don't you think?

GUYS, I'M TALKING ABOUT ALREADY INDEXED PAGES.

See almost all of my preceding posts. Perhaps I'll take a screen shot of my Webmaster Tools.

[bacemail]

I have over three hundred of these now.

[bacemail]

Ace - How many times have I mentioned SERPs?

Stop being coy, and think about the problem that I've brought to your attention.

Delete threads and posts that have already been indexed by Google = drop in SERPs for many search terms you may be trying to rank for.


I'm done.

[Cezz]

Ace - How many times have I mentioned SERPs?

Stop being coy, and think about the problem that I've brought to your attention.

Delete threads and posts that have already been indexed by Google = drop in SERPs for many search terms you may be trying to rank for.


I'm done.

I have to agree with Ace on this one, a 404 just means that that page will be dropped from the SERPs it doesn't effect the overall websites rankings and this is what is causing confusion here.

Clearly if you delete a thread then it can no longer be accessed and so google show these in WMT in-case that was done in error, Yes a 404 will mean that thread and the post's will be dropped from the search index because it is pointless google linking to it if it's not there, but what evidence do you have that it effects the sites SERPs or are you just speculating?

Cezz

[Azonaco]

Wow, somehow this thread is ranked #2 in Google for "Vbulletin Prune Threads". I think the OP is completely missing the point behind pruning threads (deleting threads). If you remove a thread, it WILL return a 404 error because that thread no longer exists. Plane and simple. LOL, of course it affects SERPS.