It’s happened to all of us. We submit an online search for something, click on a link in the search results, and see “this page cannot be found”. Frustrating, isn’t it? You’ve just experienced a 404 error.
A 404 page is what you see when the page you’re looking for is not available. There are a number of reasons why this may happen. The page may have been removed, the link to that page may be broken, or the visitor may have typed the URL incorrectly. For example, if you’ve deleted a post on your blog, or changed the URL to the page, other sites that link to you will be directing their visitors to that page using the old link – resulting in a 404 error.
Why is it called a 404 page?
That’s because when a non-existent page is requested, the web server sends back a status code of 404, indicating that the page cannot be found. It’s as simple as that.
What do you do when you see this page?
If you’re like most people (and like me), you hit your back button and go to the next site in the search results. Unfortunately, most web visitors who encounter a 404 error page will just click away and go look for information elsewhere. But as a site owner, that’s the last thing you want your visitors to do! Once you’ve lost that visitor it’s highly unlikely that you’ll get them back.
So what should you do to prevent that from happening?
404 errors are inevitable. They’re going to happen. What’s important is how your site handles them. The solution is to create a custom 404 error page that will complement your site’s design and give your visitors a little direction. Some servers have created a 404 page for you already, but you should still customize it if you can. If you have access to your server you’ll be able to do this. If you don’t, contact your server to see about getting access, or see if they’ll create one for you.
Here are a few tips for creating a 404 page:
- Tell your visitors clearly that the page they want can’t be found. Be friendly and use your own voice (style of writing).
- Customize your 404 page so that it complements your site design. Ideally, it should look the same and have the same navigation as your other pages. By doing this you’re inviting your visitor to take a look around, and you’re making it easy for them to do so.
- Consider adding a search field to this page. At the very least, offer a few suggestions for pages or posts the visitor might be interested in.
- Include a way for visitors to report this broken link. This can be as simple as an email link or a “contact” link that goes straight to you.
Though often overlooked, a custom 404 error page is an important part of any successful website. Make yours great!
