A process for preparing a vanadium, phosphorus, and oxygen catalyst precursor for preparing maleic anhydride by heterogeneously catalyzed gas-phase oxidation of a hydrocarbon having at least four carbon atoms, by reacting vanadium pentoxide (I) in the presence of a primary or secondary, noncyclic or cyclic, unbranched or branched, saturated alcohol having from 3 to 6 carbon atoms (II) with a pentavalent or trivalent phosphorus compound (III) in a temperature range from 80 to 160.degree. C. with stirring and subsequently filtering the resultant suspension, in which (a) the way in which the phosphorus compound (III) and the vanadium pentoxide (I) are combined in the presence of the alcohol (II), (b) the action of a stirring power of from 0.01 to 0.6 W/kg suspension, and/or (c) the filtration at a temperature from 65.degree. C. to 160.degree. C. are used to set a filtration resistance .alpha..sub.H.eta. of <5010.sup.13 mPas/m.sup.2; a catalyst precursor obtainable from this process; a process for preparing a catalyst from the catalyst precursor; a catalyst obtainable from this process; and a process for preparing maleic anhydride over this catalyst.