Custom 404 Page & Redirections

A person clicks on a link in the search results or on a link on another website and they get this 404 error.

The person’s next action? Leave by clicking the back button. For many folks who browse the Internet often, it is almost a subconscious move when they see 404.

There is nothing that entices a person to pause and take a look around.

404 Page Error FAQs

What does my 404 error page look like?

Some WordPress themes have a custom coded 404 page template that may display a custom message or your blog archive. Take a look at your 404 error page by typing in a url that does not exist.

www.somedomainname.com/somethingrandom

What are some examples of 404 pages?

Here are some examples of 404 pages which try and engage the visitor to stay.

New York Times, Search bar with Top News and Most Emailed posts
Yoast SEO, Search bar with recent posts and email signup
Yaro Starak, Oops with a contact me link and free offer

Here are some links to blog posts that highlight the funniest or most unusual 404 pages… or just search on your engine for “funniest 404 pages”.

49 Most Creative 404 Page
11 Brilliant 404 Pages to turn Visitors into Loyal Customers
24 Clever 404 pages
Best Error Pages Around
20+ Examples of the Funniest 404 Pages Around

Why should I setup a custom 404 page?

Instead of automatically clicking the Back button, a good 404 error page will…

1. Makes a visitor pause.
It is something different. There isn’t the automatic reaction to a 404 error to click back.

2. It might make a visitor smile.
Some websites use a cartoon or funny picture to build an emotional connection.

3. Have the visitor read on.
Place some suggested links below the “Oops we messed up” message that they might like to read.

You can setup a custom 404 error page in WordPress with general knowledge. Here is how you do it.

Why did someone land on the 404 page?

The reason someone lands on the 404 error page is because the url doesn’t exist. It may have been mistyped in the source document, the page or post has been deleted, or the permalink (url) of the page or post has been changed.

How do I prevent a visitor from landing on a 404 page?

Part of website maintenance is routinely check for broken links and fixing them. Set a reminder for yourself or someone in your office to check your site on a fixed schedule for these broken links.

To find broken links, use a broken link checker to check for broken links. For each broken link, create a redirection rule.
In WordPress you can use the Redirection plugin.

Create a Custom 404 Error Page

If you have a general knowledge of WordPress which includes creating and editing a page and installing a plugin, you may be able to do this yourself.

FIRST: Check if you have a 404 Page Builder already installed.

Before you add a plug-in to create a custom 404 page, take a moment to check and see if you have something installed that will handle this.

Below are a couple of plugins and themes which have custom 404 page ability. They link to help documentation on how to set it up.

If you have a custom theme that was developed for you, please check with your developer as they may have created a template in the theme files to handle 404s.

ALTERNATIVE: Use the Custom 404 WordPress Plugin

The 404page plugin allow you to create a WordPress page and designate it as the 404 error page.