Page Not Found Error: Avoid (404's) for SEO Success

Pete Prestipino — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 16:30:00 GMT

In the fast paced world of the Web, it's pretty much a given that users will encounter 404 (page not found) errors. And if you're moving your website to a new domain or doing a major rebuild, the chances of that happening increase exponentially. Fortunately, there are many tools available to minimize the chances of seeing 404 errors without being forced to modify .htaccess files or engage in regex writing. One in particular is Errorlytics from AccessionMedia which caught my eye this morning and is definitely worthy of note.

Users create an account and a website profile with the online tool, and install a client-side script or plugin on their server. The scripts (which are available for Drupal, Wordpress, Java, Ruby and PHP platforms) then send information on a site's 404 (page not found) errors back to the Errorlytics server for analysis. Users can log into the system interface at anytime to see what errors have occurred and set up "rules" as to where the visitor should be redirected if they attempt to access a non-existent page. Once these rules are established, Errorlytics continues to apply the rules as long as they exist. Users of the system can even subscribe to a personal Errorlytics RSS feed or a nightly email to receive updates when "page not found" errors occur.

Custom 404 Error Pages With Google

Administrator — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 19:08:00 GMT

It happens to the best of us - 404 errors. Whether it's because of a mistyped URL, broken or truncated link within an email or because of content that has been moved, end-users often see these error pages - but there are ways to help visitors get the most from this experience.

Google has added a section called "Enhance 404 pages" to its Webmaster Tools service. The embeddable widget can be included in a custom 404 page to help visitors find what they are looking for by providing suggestions based on the incorrect URL. For example, say a user visits a link which for whatever reason gets cut off and a 404 page appears. Add the Custom 404 Error Page widget however and the visitor would see the following:

Google will not only attempt to correct the URL but suggest a link to the parent subdirectory, a sitemap webpage and provide a site search query suggestion and search box. If you're interested, simply sign into Webmaster Tools and generate a JavaScript snippet which can be copy and pasted into your existing 404 page code.

'Net Features : 404 errors

Page Not Found Error: Avoid (404's) for SEO Success

Custom 404 Error Pages With Google