Not everyone thinks to set up a custom 404 page on their website. But it really is a brilliant idea. If someone lands on a page that isn’t there any more, with a custom 404 page set up you still have a chance to get them to stick around.
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What is a 404 page?
A 404 page is an error page displayed by a web server when a user attempts to access a webpage that cannot be found. The “404” status code is part of the HTTP protocol and signifies that the server could not find the requested resource. This can happen for various reasons, such as:
- The webpage has been deleted or moved.
- The URL was typed incorrectly.
- The link pointing to the page is broken.
A well-designed 404 page typically provides helpful information, such as a message explaining that the page could not be found, links to other parts of the website, a search bar, or suggestions for alternative content. This helps improve the user experience by guiding visitors back to relevant content rather than leaving them stranded on a dead-end page.
Why would you want to set up a custom 404 page?
Improved User Experience: A custom 404 page can provide helpful information and guidance, such as a friendly message, links to popular pages, a search bar, or navigation options, helping users find what they’re looking for and reducing frustration.
Branding Consistency: A custom 404 page can be designed to match the look and feel of your website, ensuring a consistent user experience and reinforcing your brand identity, even when users encounter errors.
Error Tracking: Custom 404 pages can include tracking scripts or analytics code, allowing you to monitor how often users encounter 404 errors and identify broken links or frequently mistyped URLs, which can help you improve your site’s structure and content.
SEO Benefits: Custom 404 pages can include links to important sections of your site, helping search engine crawlers find and index relevant content. This can mitigate the negative impact of broken links on your SEO performance.
Retention: By providing useful information and options on your 404 page, you can reduce the likelihood of users leaving your site when they encounter an error, helping to retain visitors and potentially converting them into customers.
How to set up a custom 404 page on WordPress
You have two options when it comes to setting up a custom 404 page on wordpress. You can either use a plugin or you can create a new file.
Using a Plugin
On my demo site I downloaded the 404Page plugin. I literally just searched 404 and installed the one with the most active users with the highest rating and this was it. I’m stabbing in the dark a bit right now, I installed it as I was writing this post.
- Go to your add plugins page and search 404. Like I said above, I used 404Page, but I reckon most plugins will work in a similar way.
- Hover over the Appearance menu on the left hand side of the screen and click on 404 Error Page. In the dropdown list choose the page that you want to be displayed when a 404 error happens and click save.
- To test it, navigate to a page on your site that you know isn’t there.
Adding a Custom 404 page on WordPress without a plugin
If you’d rather not use a plugin you can change your theme’s 404.php file instead. I’ll be honest, depending on your theme it’s probably going to be quicker and easier for you to use a plugin. You’re more likely to be able to make a professional looking page that fits in with the rest of your site doing it your usual way.
Changing your theme’s 404.php file is really easy if you know a bit of HTML.
- Hover over the appearance menu and click on Editor.
- Choose your active theme from the dropdown list on the top right, then scroll through the list of files to find the 404.php file. It should look something a bit like this, depending on your theme.
- Start making changes. I’m going to make some basic changes just to show you how, what you do with it then is limited only by your imagination and HTML/CSS skills.
- To test it, navigate to a page on your site that you know isn’t there.
Conclusion
So there you have it, that’s all there is to setting up a custom 404 page on your WordPress website. It’s a really simple thing to do but could make a big difference in helping keep people on your blog. The great thing about it is that you can change it up to match your current blog focus. For example if you’re pushing your email list put an opt-in form on your 404 page.
