Generating 404 Errors but the Pages Exist

[OptimaD]

We are having a similar problem with this URL:  http://dentalimplantsportland.com/photo-gallery/  and also the following locations:

http://cosmeticdentistportland.net/photo-gallery/

http://dentalveneersportland.com/photo-gallery/

SEO Moz  and Google webmaster tools show it as a 403 error but the pages display fine. I am not able to tell if this is really a problem for SEO or if we should reconstruct this gallery system and would really love your input.

This is Wordpress with a Spry gallery...

Thanks so much!

[RyanKent]

Guy,

In looking at the page this appears to be a legitimate problem. Your server settings allow you to present a page with any header code you wish. You can 301 a page but still present the page with a 200 code if you want. Presently it appears the page is being presented fine but your server is offering a 404 header code.

I can't tell the actual source of the problem other then to say it appears to be on your end and should be fixed. I originally looked at the code with the MOZbar but then checked independently with another tool as well. http://web-sniffer.net/

All tools show a 404 header code for the page. This response code is generated by your web server.

[RyanKent]

@DentalID, the same reply I offered to Guy applies for you as well. This is an SEO issue which does need to be fixed. Something on your end is causing the page to show with a 403 response code. You really need a programmer to get in there and determine the root cause of the issue. You could try asking your web host if you have managed hosting, but this level of assistance would normally be outside the support of managed hosting.

[OptimaD]

Thanks Ryan! I will get it looked at...Sue

[Found]

Dev team are looking into it, must be quite a complex htaccess issue. Will get to the bottom of it this week and post any findings.

[seo-wanna-bs]

Please keep in mind, that 404 error does not mean the page doesn't exist. It means your server, is sending a response code to indicate that it doesn't exist.

When I installed Litespeed on my server, this issue happened over and over again.

I believe Joomla for example, has some kind of security module that serves a 404 if a single IP requests a page too many times. I remember running SEOFrog on a friends Joomla site and tons of 404's were showing up.

[seo-wanna-bs]

FWIW, I don't think it's a coding issue. If it were coding, it would either show a 200OK or it would show a 404. It wouldn't sometimes serve a 404.

If you're using Litespeed, I'd guarantee that is the issue and if you're using Joomla, it's another prime culprit.

[RyanKent]

I agree with you Paul.

As you pointed out one possible cause is a CMS-related issue which I would refer to as "coding" meaning something in the code which was used to present the website. Perhaps there is a better way to phrase it but nothing comes to mind at the moment.

Another possibility you mentioned is Litespeed which would be a server-side issue directly. Either way, it is a legitimate issue which should be addressed.

[seo-wanna-bs]

That's true Ryan I guess it is coding related really.

Issues like this are a real pain in the ass. And most people don't even check WMT to realise the issues exist. TBH, I don't check as often as I should.

[OptimaD]

FYI, we finally found our error. The short URL turned out to be the same name as the folder (photo-gallery) so once this was changed, wordpress was able to access the correct path. A bit of custom javascript had to be amended as well, but that was limited to our custom code. Using your web-sniffer.net link we were able to test immediately and fix it fairly quickly. Thank you for your help!