There comes a time when one basic truth is realized in the life of any online marketer: moving traffic to your website is a very difficult thing to do.
Yep, bringing each and every user to your site takes time and effort. Each visitor is essential: their visit is an opportunity to turn them into a lead and, ultimately, a sale. You can't afford to turn away your guests and yet, if you haven't set up a custom 404 page for your website, that's exactly what you will do.
What is custom 404 page?
The information a user sees when they attempt to access a non-existent page on our website is a 404 page, or error page. It's the page that your server shows when the URL requested by the user can't be found.
Reasons for 404 error page:
The two most common reasons a visitor gets a 404 error are:
- They mistyped the Web address (URL) of the page they were trying to reach; or
- They followed a link to a page that no longer exists on your site.
It really gives a bad experience to your users and they will immediately leave your site. The bulk of them will not be returning.
Outcome? You've just missed the chance to turn a visitor into a lead or even a deal, and that's a very poor return on the money and effort you spent on getting them first and foremost to your web.
The remedy? A 404 custom tab.
Turn things in your favor
For users, 404 errors can be frustrating, so the main goal of a 404 page is to turn the possible negative user experience of experiencing an error into a positive one.
Links are the secret to this.
Any links that should be added to your 404 pages should include:
- Obviously, your home page
- Any of your most famous pages on the blog
- Most common or precious pages of items or categories
- A way for users to report a broken link or page / form for a contact
- Sitemap in HTML
How is custom 404 page important in seo ?
Creating a custom 404 page with useful links and even a search bar would help:
- Reduce the bounce rate and keep the website users on the
- Keep individuals involved with your site and progress through your sales process
- After a positive resolution to their 404 issue, leave them with a good feeling
- Keep branding consistent across your web
- Attract external publicity for your brand if you do a good enough job
By following links to all the numerous pages on your blog, search engines crawl through your website. If your site is indexed by a search engine and enters a 404 page with no links, it won't be able to proceed. Outcome? It is possible to leave whole parts of your web unindexed because if your pages are not indexed, then the search engines do not know they exist and will not appear in the search results.
A custom 404 page ensures that this doesn't happen by offering links (or maybe even a site map) to all the relevant parts of your site so that search engines have access to the entire site.
Use your creative talent
With your 404 page, there are many ways to get creative: crack a joke, have some interactivity, display some interesting / cool / fun visual elements, or be thought-provoking. To configure it, the bottom-line is. This guarantees that they will be amused before being redirected for whatever reason your visitor has landed on your 404 list. Many businesses use their custom 404 page to re-emphasize their branding
Helps build goodwill
You need to build trust if you want to be competitive while marketing online. Being helpful and helpful, both of which increase the goodwill that contributes to trust, is one of the best ways to do so. This can be achieved by making your own 404 page as useful and helpful.
Generate leads
The last example blends in a clever way the previous three, one that can turn a lost visitor into a lead.
- You can make it a landing page
- you can incorporate a game on to it
- it can contain helpful links for search engines to follow
- you can also offer a free giveaway if possible
The 404 error can drive away the website visitors you’ve worked so hard to attract. Creating a custom 404 page can help you take advantage of the opportunities a visitor’s presence provides.
