Customized 404 Error Page and Its Uses

A 404 error page is a page that is shown to you whenever you type in wrong URLs or click on a broken links on a website. Whenever a user request for a non existing URL, the server would not be able to find out the requested and returns a default 404 error page along with a message.

In case a user clicks on a broken link from anywhere on the site, he would be shown this 404 page and eventually he would exit from the site. This scenario is very bad for a website as it is losing a visitor due to the broken link. This issues can be to a large extend be solved by configuring a customized 404 error page. In a customized 404 error page a user would be getting a 404 error message for any broken link, but the difference is that a customized 404 error message is integrated within the original design template of the website.

Here the user sees the message inside the website template and rather than exiting the website, they are able to go back to some other pages on the website itself. In this way their engagement with the website is continued and they may find the right page they are searching for in the website. In short the customized 404 error page helps to keep the visitors on your website and is an important factor for the success of your website. The 404 page can be configured with the help of .htaccess file, which is present on your server.

While creating a 404 error page, it is also helpful if you provide some extra links to the most popular pages on your website. You can also place a search box in your customized 404 error page for the users to find the information that they are searching for. Also make sure that your 404 page is not indexed by search engines by enabling the server to return the right 404 HTTP status code which a missing link or page is reported.