Redirecting a retired URL to the homepage instead of the closest equivalent is treated by Google as a soft 404. The redirect needs to land somewhere genuinely relevant. A redirect lands on unrelated content (often homepage). Google treats irrelevant redirects as soft 404s; the destination doesn’t satisfy the original intent.
Why does redirect to an irrelevant page matter for AI search?
Google treats irrelevant redirects as soft 404s; the destination doesn’t satisfy the original intent.
How do you fix it?
Redirect to the closest relevant equivalent, or 404.
How do you find it on your site?
- List your redirects and check the destination of each.
- Flag any that dump multiple unrelated URLs onto the homepage.
- Map each source to the most relevant live page.
- Re-point the redirects and re-test.
Which ranking and citation factors does it touch?
A relevant redirect passes signals to a sensible page. An irrelevant one is treated as a soft 404 and the signals are largely lost.
What is the impact?
Medium-high. Direct (soft-404 handling).
What is the evidence?
Irrelevant redirects are treated as soft 404s. Google Search Central, How HTTP status codes affect Google Search; Google Search Central, Redirects and Google Search
Sources
Frequently asked questions about redirect to an irrelevant page
What does "Redirect to an irrelevant page" mean?
A redirect lands on unrelated content (often homepage).
How do you fix redirect to an irrelevant page?
Redirect to the closest relevant equivalent, or 404.