link data quality Fix “Link from feed returns 404” on Google Merchant Center
The product link in the feed returns a 404 error. Item can't serve because users would land on an error page. Distinct from 'Landing page not crawlable' (which covers broader crawl issues) — this is specifically about 404 responses.
What you see in Google Merchant Center:
Link from feed returns 404
API identifier: landing_page_error
Distinct from broader landing-page issues — this specifically covers 404 responses on the URL in the feed. Either the product page was removed without feed update, or the URL changed during a refactor.
Don't 301 removed products to homepages — that confuses the catalog with mismatched content. Either restore the URL, update the feed to the new URL, or remove the item from the feed entirely.
Top causes
- 1
Product page removed but the SKU still in the feed
- 2
URL changed (slug rewrite, taxonomy migration) without feed update
- 3
Pages behind authentication that 404 for unauthenticated crawlers
How to fix it
- 1
Test each affected link in incognito
Confirm the 404 reproduces. If the URL works in your browser but 404s for Googlebot, check for auth requirements.
- 2
Update or remove
If the product is discontinued, remove from feed. If it moved, update the URL.
- 3
Avoid 301 redirects to homepages
Redirecting a removed product to the homepage instead of 404ing is worse — it confuses the catalog with mismatched content.
Related issues
Landing page not crawlable
Googlebot can't reach the product page. The URL might be 404, redirected to a non-product page, blocked in robots.txt, or behind authentication. Affected items can't be served because users would land on a broken page.
Read moreInvalid link
The product link URL is malformed or unreachable. Could be HTTP instead of HTTPS, missing protocol, broken encoding, or returning a non-2xx status code.
Read moreRelated fields
FAQ
Should I 301 removed products to similar items?
Avoid it. The new page's content doesn't match the catalog listing, triggering mismatched-content issues. Better to remove from feed entirely.
Last reviewed: 26 May 2026
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