The 404 or Page Not Found error is an HTTP standard response code that appears on your Internet browser when certain situations occur. In laymen's terms, this is an automatic error page that gets displayed if any of the following instances take place:
- the server couldn't find the exact page you've requested
- the server was programmed not to show the page you've requested and without saying why
- the searcher has misspelled the URL of the page or isn't sure of the exact URL he's looking for
- the page requested for has a broken link
- the page requested may have been moved, replaced, or deleted
Obviously, a 404 error may be blamed on the part of either the searcher (website visitor) or the website administrator. Unfortunately for the latter, website visitors will rarely assume that the fault lies in them and because of this, they'll feel they're very much within their rights to get angry at you and move on to your competitors.
If you don't want to risk becoming the target of undeserved dislike from your visitors then its important to ensure that they don't land on a 404 page as much as possible. And if ever they do land on one, its important to get rid of the old standard message and replace with a new and definitely more helpful message that won't put them in an irritable mood. One way of doing that is by creating a customized 404 page.
How To Avoid 404 Pages
404 errors shouldn't occur in the first place and you can get started on working towards this critical goal by considering the following suggestions.
Redirection for Every Modification : Changing, replacing, moving, or deleting a page in your website is inevitable. But losing the traffic from it isn't. Every time you perform modifications on your website, never ever take the entire page down. Instead, use it to redirect people to your main website together with an offer to contact you for more information. What matters is letting them know you're willing to do what you can to accommodate their request.
Resubmit for Updated Indexing : Submit modified pages to wherever you've submitted them before so that the necessary parties will be updated regarding the changes you've made. This move will also let search engine spiders know about such changes.
Make an Announcement : Let people know about pages you've modified, replaced, or moved. You can do this with your mailing list or by placing the announcement on your homepage. But don't let them know if you've taken down a page because that has negative connotations more often than not.
Monitor Page Listings : If you're listed anywhere, remember to check them once a while. This prevents you from overlooking any instance where other websites are linking to your page only to have readers end up landing on a 404 page.
Be Efficient and Organized : List every page you make for your website. If you've modified it in any way, list this and do whatever you need to prevent it from incurring a 404 page for others.
Contact Your Host for 404 Help : Some web hosts will automatically redirect lost visitors to your homepage. This is one of the easiest ways to prevent people from landing a 404 page. Of course, the web hosts part ends there. After that, its up to you what to do with your readers when they get to your home page.
Tips On Creating A Customized 404 Page
Of course, its better to be prepared for any eventuality so just in case something does slip past you, having a customized 404 page can greatly help in mitigating any potential damage it may cause to your websites reputation.
Don't Let Them Know Its A 404 Page
Just because its called a 404 page and is displayed when a 404 occurs doesn't mean you have to name the page 404. What people don't know won't hurt them and just as long as your customized 404 page ends up pleasing your visitors then there's no harm done, is there?
Keep The Page Simple
Don't waste other peoples time. Keep the page and formatting simple and give them your customized 404 message in a straightforward manner. Keeping it brief, of course, doesn't mean you have to ignore courtesy. Make sure you let them know you'd more than welcome any correspondence from them regarding the matter.
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