Have you ever clicked on a website only to get reach a page that says, "File Not Found," or "404 Error" or various other messages. It is always very annoying, to say the least. Now what if web page looked liked it belonged and fit in with the theme of the website.
It is possible to customize the 404 Error so that the page redirects to the home page, to a site map, or sales page. This would allow the visitor to navigate away from the 404 page and keep them in your website. With a generic or plain 404 page the visitor may get annoyed and leave your website.
To redirect visitors to a customized 404 error page requires just a few simple steps. In your file directory of your website you should have a file ".htaccess". If not, just create a blank text document and use your ftp program of choice and upload it to the website.
Open the file ".htaccess" and add the following line.
ErrorDocument 404 www."yourwebsite".com/404error.html
"Your website" is of course the http:// to your website. 404error.html can be any file name you want, but I like to keep it simple and something that I think will make sense to anyone looking at the file directory.
Now you can hand code or use your favorite web editor to create your custom 404 page. I would recommend keeping it simple and not include a lot of content. Use it get your visitor back to looking at your site.
Hopefully your visitors will not ever land on your 404 error page. If a visitor does find it, your website will look much more professional by taking this small step. If you have a website that is selling, by all means use this page as another source to expose your client to your sales pitch.
To see an example of a custom 404 "ERROR PAGE", look at the sample page I have set up at https://www.underwoodaffiliates.com/404errorpage/404pageerror.html
This is a small example of what is possible. Use your imagination and the possibilities are endless.
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