Introduction

'HTTP 404 Not Found' reads the title.
'The page cannot be found' reads the heading on the page.

It's not pretty, or even clever. As web surfers, we have all collided with 404 error pages, and some endeavour to correct the error be checking the URL for stupid mistakes that often happen. If we find we have not mistyped the URL, we probably close our browser or fly off to another site, never to return again. As Edgar Allan Poe wrote, "Nevermore!" This is a major problem for fellow webmasters.

The thing about default 404 error pages is they often give only the error code and a short description, and if you were oblivious to the web site you were attempting to visit, the page reveals very little about the site, or a link to the home page so you can start again. Many webmasters circumvent this issue with what’s known as custom error pages. These are pages that the Webmaster creates to his or her liking, with the company logo intact and any dialog or links deemed appropriate. Other common error documents include 500 Internal Server Error, 403 Forbidden and 401 Authorization required.

This article refers to the most often-hit error document on the Internet, the infamous 404 Page Not Found error. This error occurs when a user requests a page from a web server that does not physically exist (the page, that is). The most common culprit is a misspelled page extension or link, along with deleting a page from the server without updating any corresponding links to that page. Although many sites now rely on dynamic database content to generate their pages, these sites too still have room for 404 errors to occur without the webmaster even knowing it.

Let us take a look at creating an effective 404 Page Not Found error document, how to keep more of our visitors happy, and, most importantly, coming back to our site.

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