Martin Splitt from Google answered a query regarding how Googlebot handles a pre-render meta tag with the value “404 page not found.” This type of meta tag, a non-standard meta element, is uncommon, so it’s helpful to know what to do when it does occur. That’s why it’s a good question.
The queryer was curious about Google’s possible response to a meta tag in the head section with the name “prerender-status-code” and a value of “404,” which indicates that the page they were trying to access could not be found.

A user named Martin posed the question, and Google employee Martin Splitt provided the response.

Martin inquired about Googlebot’s response to the <meta name=” prerender-status-code” content=” 404″> tag. Here’s Martin Splitt’s reaction:
“Googlebot presently disregards that status code, Martin. This seems to be a client-side rendered single-page application aiming to prevent soft-404s. In such instances, I’d recommend considering either including <meta name=” robots” content=” noindex”> or directing to a page where the server provides a 404 status code.

Exploring the Prerender-Status-Code Meta Element

The prerender-status-code meta element, often referenced as a meta tag, lacks official recognition within the Worldwide Web Consortium (W3C.org), where official HTML standards originate.
Considered more of a proprietary or non-standard meta element, such entities aren’t part of the W3C’s official HTML specifications. These non-standard meta elements, sometimes tailored for specific purposes or specific to certain browsers, may lack support across various browsers or search engines. This lack of uniform support leads to consistency in their behavior.
An illustration of such a non-standard meta element, the prerender-status-code meta element, doesn’t enjoy support from Google.
Similarly, the meta keywords element is another non-standard meta element unsupported by Google. It never gained acknowledgment from W3C.org and wasn’t part of the official HTML standards. Initially devised by search engines in the 1990s, it remained outside the official standards.
Additionally, the X-UA-Compatible meta element, another non-standard one, is specific to outdated Internet Explorer web browser versions and irrelevant to contemporary web standards.

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