Checklist: Search Console vs crawler for finding internal 404s

Checklist: Search Console vs crawler for finding internal 404s

Finding your own dead pages — two data sources, different blind spots.

1. Search Console Pages report shows 404s Google actually hit — real, indexed, traffic-relevant.
2. Screaming Frog finds every internal link to a 404, including pages Google never crawled.
3. Decision rule: GSC tells you which dead pages cost traffic; Frog tells you which broken links exist on-site. You need both.
4. Trigger: 404 in GSC with prior impressions → top priority, redirect immediately.
5. QA gate: a 404 in Frog but not GSC may be orphaned — verify it's actually linked.

Automation: weekly GSC export + monthly Frog crawl.

Definition of done: every internal 404 cross-referenced against GSC traffic and routed by priority.