We all get irritated when we click on a link and it redirects us to the 404 page.  I am pretty sure that the average Internet user has encountered this page at least once.  From the standpoint of the provider – the web site or blog owner – the 404 page should not be disregarded.  This is a case of taking advantage of what you have to work with.  Though users curse the 404 page, you can still use it to your advantage.

Think about it, though the user does not get anything from the 404 page, you can optimize that page to bring them back to the relevant pages in your web site.  The 404 page may very well be an inevitable page so why not simply exploit it?

How do you do this?  More than using the default content for the 404 page, tweak the content to be shown in it.  Make your own text explaining what the 404 page is and why the user was redirected there.  Use keywords relevant to your site even.

Don’t stop there, though, make sure that the users can find their way back to your main site.  You can do this by including your main navigation bar and including a link for the user to click on.  This link can be to your main page.  Better yet, this link could be to your site map, if you have one.

By doing so, you can point users who wander off to the 404 page back to your main pages.

One Comment to "Don’t Ignore Your 404 Page"

  • Civil Site Design said: On 08/14/2008 at 1:39 am

    Its pretty annoying when it happens to me so I’ll see what I can do to help anyone that visits my site to not get stuck in a 404.

    Thank you.

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