Using 404 Errors To Build Relationships with Readers

For many bloggers and website owners the 404 error page is probably the most overlooked section of the site. And yet, a well planned 404 error page can increase reader retention and improve your overall site.

What’s a 404 error page? It is where people are sent when they try to go to a page that doesn’t exist on your site. It could be the result of a typing error on their part or it may be you deleted or changed the name of the page.

Regardless of the reason for the 404 error, done correctly, your 404-error page is an opportunity to keep people on your site. If you leave the default error page in place, you’ll probably lose a certain percentage of people who land there. They just can’t be bothered to search for the correct page.

But by creating a custom 404 error page, you can grab their attention and make it easier to locate the page they are looking for. And that of course is your goal for any page of your site – making sure the reader wants to stick around for a bit.

When creating a 404 error page, you want to include some useful links: your home page plus a simplified version of your navigation can make it easier for the visitor to get to where they want to go easily and quickly.

Make sure your 404 error page has the same look and feel as the rest of your site so the visitor knows they’re close to the correct location.

Many people us humor on their 404 error page. Done correctly, a humorous error page diffuses any frustration at landing on the wrong page and makes the visitor want to stick around.

The funniest 404 error page I’ve come across is at Lookitsme.co.uk. It takes a few minutes to reach the end of the page, but it’s worth the wait. Seriously – I’ve kept the page open on my browser and keep hitting refresh whenever I need a giggle.

In addition to creating your own 404 error page, there’s a new service you really should look into. Errorlytics is a service that analyzes your error pages. More importantly, you can set up redirects for common 404 errors.

For example, maybe you have a post with incoming links from another site but you’ve changed the name of the page to make it more search engine friendly. The new name helps with Google but leaves your incoming links lost. No problem. Simply set up Errorlytics to automatically redirect anyone going to the old address to the new one.

If you only have one domain name and only five redirection rules, the service is free. Best of all, if you’re using WordPress Errorlytics has a plugin so it’s easy to install.

Andrea J. Stenberg

Please check out my new 404 error page and let me know what you think. (just type in your browser www.thebabyboomerentrepreneur.com/ioeuw and see what you get). Better yet, if you have a great 404 page – or know someone who does – leave a comment with a link to their site.