410 redirect goes to 404

Hello @ntijani

Thank you for your message.

To show a 410 message on the frontend, a 410.php file should exist in the theme’s folder.

Please copy your 404.php and rename to 410.php. In this new file, you can change the title and other text that you want to display.

Hope that clears the confusion. If there’s anything else we can help you with, please let us know.

Great, much thanks for the explanation. I will make the changes and let you know if I need further support on this issue.

Another question…
Inside the RankMath > 404 Monitor tool, I’ve noticed ongoing 404 error being reported for my root domain https://www.titaniumphysique.com/ (see screenshot: https://tinyurl.com/yarkutrh )

I was previously using Autoptimize plugin and thought the 404 was a result of Autoptimize plugin expired css causing this issue. I have since deleted that plugin but I am still seeing 404 error for the root domain.

I have checked Google Search Console for this domain and do not see any 404 error being reported.

FYI, I am using WP Super Cache and Cloudflare on my WP site.

Any thoughts on this?

Hello @ntijani

Can you please confirm if the URLs are matching here and are without a forward slash?
WP Dashboard < Settings > General > WordPress Address (URL) & Site Address (URL)
https://i.rankmath.com/bPFwZO

Looking forward to helping you. Thank you.

Hi, yes, I can confirm the URLs are matching and without a forward slash.
See screenshot: https://tinyurl.com/ydfvlof9
Any other ideas?

Hello @ntijani

If you notice other 404s on that stats page, you will notice they are all relative.

So, when you see a 404 on your main domain name, that actually means someone or a bot is also trying to access your website at https://example.com/https://example.com

You can simply ignore this 404 and go about your day ??

There is nothing to be worried about.

Hope that helps. Thank you.

Interestingly enough since I inquired with your team about this, the 404 error on the root domain has not appeared again. But thank you for your input.

Hello @ntijani

Glad it’s sorted.

If you need any other assistance, please feel free to open a new support topic and we would be more than happy to assist.

Thank you.