Whilst browsing around the internet, it is very likley that you will have come across a 404 page. This page is displayed when a website like cannot be resolved and the physical page does not exist on the website – it will give you a message stating 404 – Page cannot be found. These can occur for a variety of reasons such as spelling mistakes, accidental removal of a page or even database problems. What ever the issue, they all lead to one outcome – an unhappy visitor.
To safeguard against broken links and 404 pages you can take the following steps:
Link Checking
You will be relieved to know that you do not have to do this manually – it can be done in a few clicks. Using link checking software such as Xenu will provide you with a list of all the broken links and orphaned pages on your website. This should be done by your website adminstrator on a regular basis. If it isn’t – ask why
Custom 404 pages
By providing the visitor with a little bit more information leaves them feeling valued and much less disappointed. Whilst no website wants to serve a 404 page, in the unlikely event of soemone linking through to it, having some fun with it can be provide a much btter experience for the visitor. Offer them a site search, a link to the homepage, an apology, even inject some humour into the page and coupled with a page which retains your brand, you will find people getting more from your website.
Some examples of great 404 pages are shown below:
Tags: Content, Web Design, Web Management
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