How does Google handle "not found" pages that don't return a 404?

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United States Google Search Central
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Published on ● Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oya9Pl7ukNo


Duration: 1:36
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How does Google deal with 'page not found' pages that are returning a 200 response code instead of a 404? Is this a form of spam? Can Google determine this mismatch algorithmically? Blind Five Year Old, SF, CA

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Tags:
google
seo
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404