Do you know what is custom 404 page

You will often find a 404 Error page when you try to find some particular page in a site. This is because that page doesn’t exist in that web server. The web server have pre configured the system and added ‘Error Document 404 /notfound.html’ in the .htaccess file. They then uploaded the file in the man directory. The notfound.html page is shown to the visitor when the specific file is not available.

Here are some tips which will help you to build custom 404 page:

1. Always it is recommended to use the same template for the 404 Error page. This will help the visitor to navigate to the home page. More over it will help you to get some PR for the Home page. Thus it will improve search engine rank.
2. Always apologize to the visitors if they don’t find the desired page. This will create a good impression in the visitors mind.
3. Don’t redirect the 404 Error page to the home page. This can create a negative impact on the visitors mind. You can put a link on the homepage only.
4. Internet search engines is always a good thing because Google search engine will always help you to search within the site and you can put the custom search engine on that page and you can also request the visitors to search for that page they are looking for.
5. Design your 404 page depending upon your site. Your 404 page should be similar to some other theme websites.
6. You can also request the webmaster to inform you about the broken links through the one click form.
7. It is advisable to put the proper sitemap of your site on the 404 page.

For better search engine ranking following rules may help you. You can of course try it out.