Comments on: Who Needs a Custom 404 Page? You Do!

By: Akila

Akila — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 17:18:34 +0000

Trisha: Thanks so much for this tip! We realized that we had some dead links last weekend and, though we fixed those, we are happy to have a customized 404 page that looks just like our home page but with an error message in the middle. I am working on a cool graphic and am going to add it in too.

By: Trisha

Trisha — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 16:15:17 +0000

Hi Adrian — thanks for stopping by! And I agree that it’s a good idea to make it informative or entertaining – the point is to encourage them to stay on your site long enough to have a look around, and maybe they’ll find what they came looking for. A boring 404 page generally just sends people packing.

By: Adrian

Adrian — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 11:28:05 +0000

Who would have expected tech tips on this site? Good one though. I checked my sites straight away. Luckily my wordpress themes come with a 404 page that looks like the rest of my sites. Still, it’s a good idea to make it more entertaining or informative. Or put a offer there.

By: Trisha

Trisha — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 17:40:01 +0000

Hi Jamey If you can be super careful, then yes - you can just copy & paste into your 404.php template file (be sure it's backed up first just in case). Here is a great page with instructions on creating or modifying your 404 Template: http://1guywebdesign.com/index.php/2007/07/31/wordpress/custom-404-page-for-wordpress Here are a few other great resources, including a couple of plugins that will make the job easier: Dunstan Style 404 Page plugin - I highly recommend this one - works with versions of WordPress up to 2.7 Google's 404 Widget - easy to install and only requires a free Google account to get the code WordPress' documentation on creating a 404 Page Template file And of course, if you're uncomfortable modifying your own 404 Template, and not happy with the results of a plugin, by all means hire a "WordPress Guru", but creating such a page should take any true "Guru" only a few minutes and therefore should not cost a lot..... Post questions in our Forum if you need more technical help!

By: Jamey

Jamey — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 15:32:18 +0000

Thanks for this post on the 404 Page. I have a few questions…What if you’re not “techie” literate? How difficult is it to create a 404 Page? Can I just copy and paste something into WordPress?

Sometimes when I mess with a WordPress template/theme things go awry and I end up frustrated because I’m not really that skilled in HTML. I usually just stick with what I have. I guess I could find a “WordPress” guru. Anything advice for us newbies/beginners?

By: Trisha

Trisha — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 21:10:39 +0000

Hi Joann – thanks for stopping by and for your kind words about our 404 Page…. crafting a clever and useful 404 Page is rather like making sure you put on clean underwear every day…….you sincerely hope that you’ll never be in the type of accident that necessitates the paramedics cutting off your clothes, but if it happens you’ll sure be glad you remembered your mother’s good advice! A conscientious webmaster certainly doesn’t want any broken links, but prepares for that event nonetheless.

By: Joann

Joann — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 22:18:50 +0000

Anyone not visiting your site on a regular basis is missing some of the best technical advice available. Love your 404 page. Gave me some good ideas. Thanks again.