How to Fix a WordPress.htaccess Error with Godaddy
One of the most common errors you may encounter when trying to access your WordPress website is a 404 error. After all, if someone is trying to reach your website, but instead of landing on the home page, they are being redirected to a 404 error page, you have likely lost a potential lead, or worse yet, a customer.
What is a 404 error and how do I fix it? Let’s find out.
What Is a 404 Error?
As the name suggests, a 404 error indicates that the requested page could not be found. However, this is not always the case. A 404 error can also be a result of an outdated web page, which does not exist any more. In other words, a 404 error can appear for a multitude of reasons.
You may encounter a 404 error if you try to access a web page that does not exist or has been removed from the web. For example, if you try to open www.example.com/about, but there is no such page on the website, you will receive a 404 error. In this case, the web server is simply telling you that a page with this URL does not exist, and that you should try another one.
Another instance where you may encounter a 404 error is when you try to access a page from a directory that does not exist. For example, if you try to open www.example.com/blog/2018/03/my-first-post/, but there is no such directory on the website, you will receive a 404 error. In this case, the web server is simply telling you that a page with this URL does not exist, and that you should try another one.
How To Fix A WordPress.htaccess Error
If you get a 404 error when trying to access your WordPress website, you need to check your.htaccess file to find out why. In this file, you will find several lines of text, which are added by WordPress to allow for more control over the site’s functionality.
What you need to do is go through the lines of code in your.htaccess file and remove any unwanted ones. In most cases, you will find that a good portion of the lines are outdated and can be removed. If you are unsure of where to begin, simply ask yourself if the lines of code are doing anything that is not good for your site. In most cases, the answer will be no. Once you have gotten rid of the unwanted lines, make sure that the syntax of the file is correct by running it through a validator.
If the above steps do not work for you, you can always contact the WordPress support team for help. They will be able to take a look at your.htaccess file and tell you what is going on.