In my last article I discussed about the various reasons for which a website can throw a 404 error. While they are largely avoidable, with a little effort we can actually get the 404 errors to work for our website rather than working against it.
The solution is simple, create a custom 404 page. Instead of the ugly "404 Error - Page not Found" we can have a nice page that tells the visitors that something has gone wrong and provide him with alternatives. This would help retain the visitors to your website to great extent.
Now the question is, how to create a custom 404 page ?
Creating Custom 404 Page in Apache
a) Download your .htaccess file from server using FTP.
b) Open using Notepad and look for the line below..
ErrorDocument 404 /path/to/your/error/file.html
c) Download this error file mentioned in the path and modify the HTML to customize it, alternatively, create a separate custom 404 page and replace the "/path/to/your/error/file.html" with the path to the new file.
d) Save the .htaccess file and upload to your server.
e) Type in a wrong URL that you know doesn't exist and check if the custom 404 page shows up.
Points to Note:
a) Make sure you keep a back up of your .htaccess file before uploading the new file. This is a very crucial file for websites on Apache and can create a mess if you write anything silly in it.
b) In case you don't have a .htaccess file on your server, you can create a new one in a notepad. Just add the line below and it should work well.
ErrorDocument 404 /path/to/your/error/custom404page.html
c) Though most web hosting companies that offers Apache server gives access to .htaccess file, some of them still don't. In case you are on one of those servers speak to your host.
How to Create Custom 404 Error Page in IIS
This is again a very simple process but you will need to have access to your server to do this.
a) Open Your Internet Service Managerand right click on the website for which you want to set the custom 404 error page.
b) Click on Properties
c) CLick on Custom Errors tab.
d) You will see a long list of errors, scroll down till you see 404 HTTP error on the left column.
e) On the right column (Content) you will see a file associated with it.
f) You can edit this file and customize it. Alternatively, choose Edit Properties and change the file to the custom 404 file that you have already created.
g) Check if the custom 404 error page is working by typing a wrong URL.
So don't let those visitors bounce off , create a nice and attractive custom 404 error page and keep them in.
The solution is simple, create a custom 404 page. Instead of the ugly "404 Error - Page not Found" we can have a nice page that tells the visitors that something has gone wrong and provide him with alternatives. This would help retain the visitors to your website to great extent.
Now the question is, how to create a custom 404 page ?
Creating Custom 404 Page in Apache
a) Download your .htaccess file from server using FTP.
b) Open using Notepad and look for the line below..
ErrorDocument 404 /path/to/your/error/file.html
c) Download this error file mentioned in the path and modify the HTML to customize it, alternatively, create a separate custom 404 page and replace the "/path/to/your/error/file.html" with the path to the new file.
d) Save the .htaccess file and upload to your server.
e) Type in a wrong URL that you know doesn't exist and check if the custom 404 page shows up.
Points to Note:
a) Make sure you keep a back up of your .htaccess file before uploading the new file. This is a very crucial file for websites on Apache and can create a mess if you write anything silly in it.
b) In case you don't have a .htaccess file on your server, you can create a new one in a notepad. Just add the line below and it should work well.
ErrorDocument 404 /path/to/your/error/custom404page.html
c) Though most web hosting companies that offers Apache server gives access to .htaccess file, some of them still don't. In case you are on one of those servers speak to your host.
How to Create Custom 404 Error Page in IIS
This is again a very simple process but you will need to have access to your server to do this.
a) Open Your Internet Service Managerand right click on the website for which you want to set the custom 404 error page.
b) Click on Properties
c) CLick on Custom Errors tab.
d) You will see a long list of errors, scroll down till you see 404 HTTP error on the left column.
e) On the right column (Content) you will see a file associated with it.
f) You can edit this file and customize it. Alternatively, choose Edit Properties and change the file to the custom 404 file that you have already created.
g) Check if the custom 404 error page is working by typing a wrong URL.
So don't let those visitors bounce off , create a nice and attractive custom 404 error page and keep them in.
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