Nothing is worse than a customer or potential customer clicking
on a link and getting taken to a broken page with a "404 Error Page Not
Found" message. Thankfully, even though this is going to happen on
occasion, even when you implement preventive measures, you can make it
less painful by creating useful 404 error pages.
Some WordPress themes have a 404.php file that you can easily edit, others you'll have to create your own, and upload it. You can easily create the 404.php file or edit the existing one inside a text editor, then copy and paste it into the 404.php file using the editor in the dashboard, or save it to a file called 404.php, upload it directly to the directory of your WordPress instance.
Make Your 404 Error Page Friendly
People love humor when an error occurs. While it may not be that funny to you, if you add in some humor to your 404 Error page the user is more than likely to keep trying to get your site to work for them.
Give Them The Ability to Contact The Site Administer
Not only will this make the user feel better, but it'll help you if users report 404 error pages so that you can fix them. No matter how friendly and funny your 404 error page is, you still don't want it to show up.
Add Useful Links to the 404 Error Page
To help your reader, it's a good idea to include some potentially helpful links to other content on your website for the viewer to read instead of the page they were trying to read. While it might not be what they wanted, they are likely to click on something to find out.
Include Google Search on Your 404 Error Page
You can get the code from Google to add a search bar to your 404 Error page. Not only can you earn a little money if this is used, you give your viewers a way out of your website and the error by making the page useful.
An Ounce of Prevention is Worth a Pound of Cure
When it comes to 404 Errors, you really don't want them to happen and thankfully there are things you can do to try to prevent them.
1) Did You Change the Permalink Structure?
If you have a WordPress site then this is a very likely way for 404 page errors to start. While the links change inside the site when you change the link structure, if you have any links outside the site on social media, article marketing, blog comments, etc... then when they come to the site from that link they'll get a 404 error message.
2) Error in Coding of index.php or search.php
If you've spent time, or your webmaster has spent time customizing any of the code in your WordPress site then you may want to check for coding errors. It's very likely the culprit that there are invalid addresses being used in the code. It only takes one typo to ruin the entire coding.
3) Broken Links
For whatever reason, sometimes links become broken. It's a good idea to check regularly for broken links.
You can do this with a plugin for WordPress. Wordpress Broken Link Checker will monitor links and notify you by email when broken links are found.
Finally, if you want to you can use a plugin to help you make a customized 404 Error page that really stands out. Whatever you do, don't leave the boring 404 Error page as is. Use every ounce of real estate to help you improve sales and stickiness of your website.
Some WordPress themes have a 404.php file that you can easily edit, others you'll have to create your own, and upload it. You can easily create the 404.php file or edit the existing one inside a text editor, then copy and paste it into the 404.php file using the editor in the dashboard, or save it to a file called 404.php, upload it directly to the directory of your WordPress instance.
Make Your 404 Error Page Friendly
People love humor when an error occurs. While it may not be that funny to you, if you add in some humor to your 404 Error page the user is more than likely to keep trying to get your site to work for them.
Give Them The Ability to Contact The Site Administer
Not only will this make the user feel better, but it'll help you if users report 404 error pages so that you can fix them. No matter how friendly and funny your 404 error page is, you still don't want it to show up.
Add Useful Links to the 404 Error Page
To help your reader, it's a good idea to include some potentially helpful links to other content on your website for the viewer to read instead of the page they were trying to read. While it might not be what they wanted, they are likely to click on something to find out.
Include Google Search on Your 404 Error Page
You can get the code from Google to add a search bar to your 404 Error page. Not only can you earn a little money if this is used, you give your viewers a way out of your website and the error by making the page useful.
An Ounce of Prevention is Worth a Pound of Cure
When it comes to 404 Errors, you really don't want them to happen and thankfully there are things you can do to try to prevent them.
1) Did You Change the Permalink Structure?
If you have a WordPress site then this is a very likely way for 404 page errors to start. While the links change inside the site when you change the link structure, if you have any links outside the site on social media, article marketing, blog comments, etc... then when they come to the site from that link they'll get a 404 error message.
2) Error in Coding of index.php or search.php
If you've spent time, or your webmaster has spent time customizing any of the code in your WordPress site then you may want to check for coding errors. It's very likely the culprit that there are invalid addresses being used in the code. It only takes one typo to ruin the entire coding.
3) Broken Links
For whatever reason, sometimes links become broken. It's a good idea to check regularly for broken links.
You can do this with a plugin for WordPress. Wordpress Broken Link Checker will monitor links and notify you by email when broken links are found.
Finally, if you want to you can use a plugin to help you make a customized 404 Error page that really stands out. Whatever you do, don't leave the boring 404 Error page as is. Use every ounce of real estate to help you improve sales and stickiness of your website.
Would you like to use this article in your own blog or ezine? Awesome! Please feel free, and include the following:
About: Pam Ivey International helps small business owners enhance their brand image, influence buyers, and generate revenue through comprehensive online marketing coaching and training programs. In real estate, we train and certify support professionals to become superior real estate assistants. We also publish Online Marketing Success Magazine - cutting-edge marketing content for business owners and those who support them. http://www.pamivey.com
Article Source:
http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Pam_Ivey/913390
About: Pam Ivey International helps small business owners enhance their brand image, influence buyers, and generate revenue through comprehensive online marketing coaching and training programs. In real estate, we train and certify support professionals to become superior real estate assistants. We also publish Online Marketing Success Magazine - cutting-edge marketing content for business owners and those who support them. http://www.pamivey.com
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