How can I fix the "Submitted URL seems to be a Soft 404" error for my Webflow sites when using Webmaster tools for SEO?

TL;DR

Verify the page loads properly, isn’t redirected, and contains visible, meaningful content.
Ensure it's published, indexable, listed in the sitemap, and not flagged with incorrect canonical tags or redirects.
Improve thin or duplicate content, and use URL Inspection in Search Console to request reindexing once fixed.

The "Submitted URL seems to be a Soft 404" error in Google Search Console means that Google suspects the page doesn't provide meaningful content, even though it technically returns a 200 (OK) status. This often occurs on Webflow sites when pages lack content or are misconfigured for indexing.

1. Verify the Page Exists and Loads Properly

Open the affected URL in an incognito browser window.
Check that it loads a fully designed, content-rich page, not a blank, placeholder, or error page.
Make sure it is not redirecting to the homepage or another irrelevant page.

2. Ensure Content Is Not Hidden

Google may see a page as “empty” if critical content is loaded via JavaScript without server-side rendering.
Avoid hiding all main text in interactions (e.g., under animations or tabs) unless you’re sure Google can render it. You can test this using the URL Inspection Tool in Search Console, then click View Crawled Page → Screenshot or Page resources.

3. Check Page Indexing and Meta Settings

In Webflow, Go to Page Settings of the affected page.
Ensure “Hide this page from search engines” is unchecked.
Confirm the page is published and accessible via the correct URL.

4. Ensure Correct Sitemap Submission

Go to Webflow Project Settings → SEO tab.
Make sure your auto-generated sitemap.xml is enabled.
Visit yourdomain.com/sitemap.xml to confirm the problematic URL is listed.
In Search Console, re-submit your sitemap if changes were made.

5. Review Canonical Tags and Redirects

Open the page and right-click → View Page Source, then look for any <link rel="canonical" href="...">.
Ensure the canonical URL points to the correct version of the page.
In Hosting settings, check if any 301 or 302 redirects are pointing that URL elsewhere.

6. Check for Thin or Duplicate Content

Ensure the page has unique, useful content. Just duplicating structure/text from another page might cause it to be flagged as low-value.
Avoid pages that have only a header, footer, and minimal body text.

7. Test and Request Reindexing in Search Console

In Google Search Console, go to URL Inspection → Enter the URL → TEST LIVE URL.
If everything is fixed, click REQUEST INDEXING.

Summary

To fix the Soft 404 error on a Webflow site, confirm that the page is live, content-rich, indexable, and not hidden behind JavaScript or redirects. After addressing content or meta tag issues, use Google's URL Inspection Tool to test and request reindexing.

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