what is a 404 error?
404-page error, in short, its mean the page cannot found on the website or page doesn’t exist.
404 error appears when you enter a wrong URL that doesn’t exist on a live website.
It is one of the most common errors you can face while browsing the internet websites, which often occurs when following a broken website link or if you enter a wrong website address or website URL that doesn’t exist, or website path has changed.
404 error message can be seen in different forms, such as (404 Page Not Found) or (404 Not Found)
Common reasons of 404 error :
- user type wrong URL.
- web admin change page Permalink.
- web admin removes a page.
- no redirect from old page URL to the new one.
Why it’s important to have a 404 error page on your website?
a 404 error page is like you tell visitors that website is not broken or down you just come to a wrong place and here the point. you don’t want website visitors to leaves website with an of feeling that website does not respond or damaged, especially if they are not familiar with your website.
another point its good for SEO to define 404 error page.
The consequence is that the user is likely to leave the website and never return. This could mean potentially losing a new customer, after a bad experience that could have easily been avoided.
How to create a 404 error page?
Here are top tips for creating a 404 error page:
- The page design should be consistent with the rest of the website.
- Write a clear message acknowledging the problem, indicating the possible cause and provide a solution.
- Avoid technical terminologies as many web users may not understand what it means.
- Keep the website navigation menu shown.
- Create a link to go back to the previous page as an optional.
- Include a link to the sitemap for all of the main sections or pages of the website.
- Include contact form as an option to report a broken link for web admin.
