1.2 Indexability & statusHighVerified
Redirect to an irrelevant page
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.
What it is
A redirect lands on unrelated content (often homepage).
Why it matters
Google treats irrelevant redirects as soft 404s; the destination doesn’t satisfy the original intent.
How to fix it
Redirect to the closest relevant equivalent, or 404.
How to 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.
Cross-reference to ranking and citation factors
A relevant redirect passes signals to a sensible page. An irrelevant one is treated as a soft 404 and the signals are largely lost.
Impact
Medium-high. Direct (soft-404 handling).
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