What's the difference between 403 and 404?

A 404 means the page does not exist; the server could not find it. A 403 means the page exists but access is forbidden. One is about existence, the other about permission.

Why would a real page return 403 to Google?

Usually a firewall, CDN, or bot-blocking rule mistakes the crawler for an unwanted bot and refuses it. The page works for visitors but returns 403 to the crawler, so it cannot be indexed. Review your bot rules.

Should I return 403 for pages I deleted?

No. Deleted pages should return 404 or, if the removal is permanent and deliberate, 410. A 403 implies the page still exists but is off-limits, which is misleading for content that is actually gone.

403 vs 404: Forbidden or Not Found, and Why It Matters

403 vs 404

A 403 and a 404 both stop a request, and from a generic error page they can look identical. The meanings are quite different: a 404 says the page does not exist, while a 403 says it exists but you are not allowed to see it.

Returning the wrong one confuses both visitors and search engines, and a stray 403 is a sneaky way to deindex pages you actually want crawled.

At a glance

Aspect	403	404
Meaning	Forbidden	Not Found
Does the resource exist?	Yes, but access is refused	No, the server cannot find it
Typical cause	Permission rule, firewall, or CDN block	Deleted page, wrong URL, or broken link
Will the right URL fix it?	No; it is a permission problem	Maybe; the page may live elsewhere
SEO risk	Blocking crawlers deindexes live pages	Valuable pages 404ing lose rankings

When a 403 is correct

A 403 fits when the resource exists but the request is not permitted: a private area, a file outside the user's rights, or a request a security rule deliberately blocks. The page is there; access is the issue.

The trap is a firewall, CDN, or bot rule returning 403 to legitimate search engine crawlers. If pages you want indexed answer 403 to bots, those access rules are the first place to look.

When a 404 is correct

A 404 fits when the page genuinely does not exist, whether the URL was mistyped, the page was deleted, or a link points somewhere that was never valid. Search engines expect 404s and handle them gracefully.

If a missing page has a relevant replacement, 301-redirect it instead. If it is permanently gone, a 404 or a 410 is the honest answer.

Frequently asked questions

What's the difference between 403 and 404?: A 404 means the page does not exist; the server could not find it. A 403 means the page exists but access is forbidden. One is about existence, the other about permission.
Why would a real page return 403 to Google?: Usually a firewall, CDN, or bot-blocking rule mistakes the crawler for an unwanted bot and refuses it. The page works for visitors but returns 403 to the crawler, so it cannot be indexed. Review your bot rules.
Should I return 403 for pages I deleted?: No. Deleted pages should return 404 or, if the removal is permanent and deliberate, 410. A 403 implies the page still exists but is off-limits, which is misleading for content that is actually gone.