Valuable Real Estate…

After posting the Google updates yesterday, I spent some time on my own error page (also known or titled as a 404 page).

Start your own tour of your error page with this thought…when someone lands here, they’ve either clicked an old link, a poorly coded link, or typed in a bad url. Does that mean I want them to leave my site?

Of course not!

What you want to do is guide them to the important areas of your site.

First of all explain to them (in laymen’s terms) where they are…instead of titling the page “404 Error-Page Not Found”, why not say something like “That Page Isn’t Here”?

Next offer either a link to your Site Map, or if you feel you have the space, put a copy of your site map on the page.

Are you building a list? Is the form prominently displayed in your sidebar navigation? If not, why not include a section with your list form? Make it look nice!

WordPress sites offer some great opportunities for your error page via plugins and other coding. For example on my own error page I’ve included “Most Popular Pages”, as well as a feed to the most recent post on this blog, and an additional search form.

You could also use this as a page to highlight your most popular product.

The main thing to remember is that your error page is just that…a page of your site! Don’t leave it blank, and lose the additional opportunities it could be generating for you!