404 Not Found WordPress Page – Every once in a while, you click a link and it breaks the entire website. Well, you didn’t actually break the site, you just clicked on a broken link and ended up with a 404 error page. Your initial confusion turns to frustration when you realize you won’t be able to reach your destination.
Despite your best efforts, every website has the potential to send its visitors to a 404 error page. Sometimes the problem is external. For example, a customer shared a link with their friend, but they accidentally changed two letters in your URL address. The friend ended up on a page that didn’t exist, and just clicked without trying to find the correct link.
404 Not Found WordPress Page
But the problem can also be internal, because even your own website isn’t foolproof. good news? There are steps you can take to optimize your 404 error pages.
How To Fix 404 Errors In WordPress Using 301 Redirects
In this post, we’ll share exactly what a 404 error page is, along with some helpful tips on how you can improve your customer experience.
Error 404 is an HTTP status code. This error means that the server was unable to find a page on your site or that the page does not exist. This type of error message usually occurs when the page is redirected to another URL. This can also happen if content is removed without updating internal links. However, as shown in the previous example, if the URL is entered incorrectly, an error will occur.
It’s very common to end up on pages that no longer exist, especially if your site has been around for a while. Visitors can find old links to your website through different websites. Maybe you partnered with the site for a giveaway, wrote a guest post, or were interviewed and shared a link to your site. However, between then and now, you changed your URL’s permalink structure, so unfortunately, visitors who find you through the site go to the wrong page. It happens all the time.
How To Create A Custom 404 Error Page In WordPress
Even if the error isn’t your fault, you’re still responsible for making sure your site’s visitors have the best possible experience—even if they encounter an error.
It’s not the end of the world when your visitors come across an error page. You can still optimize this experience by using it as an opportunity to direct visitors to the right place.
Since 404 error pages are unavoidable, every website should intentionally customize this page to show that they care about their visitors’ experience.
How To Create A 404 Page In WordPress
Optimizing your 404 error pages can direct visitors to your home page, whether it’s your home page or a “start here” page. Think outside the box to highlight your best content. You can also share your FAQ page if you think it will help keep your visitors on track.
There is an ongoing debate about whether 404 error pages directly affect your site’s ranking on search engine results pages. However, a high bounce rate can negatively affect your website’s reputation with search engines. Bounce rate is the percentage of visitors who leave a web page without taking any action (a signal to search engines like Google that your site may not be meeting user expectations). However, this is not always the case. Whether or not a high bounce rate affects search engine rankings, it’s important to remember that the goal of every website is to encourage visitors to keep discovering more of your content. Let’s make sure the 404 page helps achieve that goal.
How can you improve your 404 error page to optimize the experience when your website visitors find themselves on a broken link? Now let’s talk about this.
Create A Custom 404 Page With Page Builder
There are dozens of different HTTP status codes. When you read this page, the server responded with one of the most common codes: status code 200. This code means that everything is fine with the page the browser is trying to display.
Sometimes, the browser is redirected to another page. This happens when the server responds with a 301 Permanent Redirect or a 302 Temporary Redirect. Of the two redirect types, 301 is the recommended choice because it conveys link equity, which is the type of power value one page can pass on to another. Link equity is important for SEO.
When you redirect a broken link instead of displaying a 404 error page, you can negatively impact your user experience. When a visitor clicks a link, they only want to return to your home page or some other page they didn’t expect. This is confusing and causes visitors to question their clicks. They may hit the back button and start the whole process all over again, which will definitely degrade their experience on your website and may also increase your bounce rate.
Tips To Create A Custom 404 Not Found Page In WordPress
Also, only use permanent 301 redirects when sending visitors to an updated URL for the intended content or to an alternate page with similar content.
Google recommends that you return a 404 Not Found code for pages that don’t exist on your site. This indicates to search engines that the stray page should not be indexed because it doesn’t exist.
First, check the theme’s default 404 page. Almost every theme has its own 404 page template, but it can be basic without any extras. You can access this page by navigating to Appearance from the Dashboard. Then click on Theme Editor.
The Best 404 Pages: 37 Examples You Need To See
To access the theme editor as a user, you need to have a business account. Learn more about our packages here.
From here, you can access the theme’s 404 error template files. If you’re good at coding, you can modify the default 404 message directly from the dashboard. Just check the text in the h1 heading.
However, some themes do not include a 404 page. If you want to create your own code but don’t know much about it, you can use plugins (if you’re on a plugin-enabled plan or higher). One of the most popular plugins is Peter Raschendorfer’s 404 Page Plugin.
WordPress Error: Wp Admin Redirects To A 404 Page
Using this plugin you can create your own custom 404 error page just like any other post or page on . When creating error pages, you can use block arrays in the editor to speed up the process. This way, you can visually build error pages according to your needs.
So, what’s on your 404 error page? Here are some things to consider adding to your website:
The goal of your custom error messages is twofold. First, it should alert your visitors that they are trying to reach a page that doesn’t exist. Second, it should list options for what to do next, all on your website.
How To Fix WordPress 404 Page Not Found Error
The interior just uses a little humor and imagery with the branding on its pages. Combined with a home button and a short menu to help users find what they’re looking for, it’s well protected.
Airbnb is just right. Animated illustrations capture the frustration of hitting a 404 page and provide great options for what to do next. In addition to a short menu of useful links, a search bar is also included.
While 404 errors are unavoidable, that doesn’t mean they’re necessarily unpleasant. Use your 404 error page to connect with your visitors and redirect them to other destinations on your website. This can increase your chances of converting more visitors into customers or customers.
How To Create A Custom 404 Page Template In WordPress (in 3 Steps)
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Of the many errors you might see on your WordPress site, the 404 Not Found error is one of the more benign ones. But that doesn’t mean it’s not frustrating when you or your visitors try to browse your website and keep running into 404 Not Found error messages. 😒 This is the last thing you want potential new customers to see from your brand. A 404 error may also indicate to you that something has changed or moved, and you may need to add a 301 redirect for SEO.
What Is Error 404 Not Found And How To Solve
In this article, we’ll try to help you get your site up and running again by explaining a few things:
A 404 (Not Found) status code indicates that the origin server has not found a current representation of the target resource or is unwilling to disclose its existence. The 404 status code does not indicate whether this lack is temporary or permanent; which
