On established web sites that have been around for awhile, particularly dynamic sites where URL's may change over time, the page that gets the greatest number of hits from visitors is often the "404: Not Found" error page. Unfortunately, most visitors who encounter that error simply don't bother to hang around on the site or inform the webmaster that they have hit a problem. Many don't know what to do so simply move on.
Webmasters spend a lot of time trying to encourage visitors onto their sites. So, the issue is - how do we retain visitors after they encounter a "Not Found" error and how do we provide the best visitor experience? The answer is this - create a custom 404 error page that helps your site visitors find what they are looking for.
Creating a static HTML 404 error page is easy, but it's not quite so easy to create a custom 404 error page for a dynamic content management system, such as Joomla, Mambo, or even WordPress. In the series of articles listed below, we show you how to create a custom 404 error page so that it returns the correct headers and uses the template you are using with your site.
Articles in the custom 404 error pages series:
- Create a Custom 404 Error Page for Mambo
This tutorial shows you how to create a custom 404 error page from within your Mambo or Joomla 1.0 web site, using your own site template, and set it up as the default 404 page for your web site.
- Create a Custom 404 Error Page with IIS
How to set up IIS to send the correct header responses and how to tell it to use your custom 404 as the default 404 page. This allows you to create a custom 404 in Mambo or Joomla 1.0 and deliver it with the proper 404 responses.
- Create a Custom 404 Error Page with cPanel
How to set up a custom 404 error page using cPanel and how to modify this 404 page so that it blends seamlessly with your Mambo or Joomla CMS web site. This method can also be used by any type of web site where the site administrator has access to cPanel.
