404 not found is that frustrating error that appears when you are trying to access a website page that does not exist.
Typically it is the result of a mistyped web address, or a website redesign has changed page locations, or it is just bad linking by a web designer.
The wording varies but it is often just a sterile page from a web server looking very uninformative and unfriendly to your web visitor.
What makes a good “404 not found” page?
Design a customized friendly, informative “404 not found” web page.
A simple statement acknowledging that the requested URL could not be found on your site.
Create a positive option for the user instead of the back button.
Have a constructive solution with a redirect or link to your home page or sitemap page to guide the user to what they were looking for.
Put a search box linked to your website search engine on the error page.
Most web hosts will allow you or your web designer to create a custom 404 not found page. If not, it might be time to find a better web host!
Creating an accessible custom 404 error page is important for the success of your website and can stop you losing potential customers/clients for your small business.