Creating a Custom 404 Page in WordPress

Creating a Custom 404 Page in WordPress

A 404 error is what appears when a user tries to visit a page on your website that doesn’t exist or cannot be found. Instead of the generic error message, you can create a custom 404 page that is branded to your website and provides helpful information to the user. In WordPress, creating a custom 404 page is relatively easy, and in this article, we’ll walk you through the steps to create your own.

Step 1: Create a New Page

The first step is to create a new page in WordPress. Go to your WordPress dashboard and click on “Pages” and then “Add New”. You can name your page “404 Error” or something similar. You can also add content to the page that you think would be helpful to users who land on this page.

Step 2: Design Your 404 Page

The next step is to design your 404 page. You can use any WordPress theme or page builder to design the layout of your 404 page. Make sure to include some branding elements like your logo or color scheme so that the page is consistent with the rest of your website.

Step 3: Add a 404 Redirect

Now that you’ve designed your 404 page, you need to tell WordPress to use it as the default 404 page. You can do this by adding a 404 redirect. There are a few ways to add a 404 redirect, but one of the simplest methods is to use a plugin like Redirection.

Install and activate the Redirection plugin, and then go to “Tools” and “Redirection” in your WordPress dashboard. Click on the “Add New” button and enter the URL of your 404 page in the “Source URL” field. In the “Target URL” field, enter the URL of your homepage. This will redirect users who land on a 404 error page to your custom 404 page.

Step 4: Test Your Custom 404 Page

Once you’ve completed the steps above, you should test your custom 404 page to make sure that it’s working correctly. Try to visit a page on your website that doesn’t exist and make sure that you are redirected to your custom 404 page.

creating a custom 404 page in WordPress is a great way to improve the user experience on your website. By designing a page that is branded to your website and provides helpful information to users, you can turn a frustrating error message into a positive experience. Follow the steps above to create your own custom 404 page and improve the overall experience for your website visitors.

Step 5: Customize the Text and Design

Now that you’ve set up the basic layout of your 404 page, you can further customize it to match your branding and provide more helpful information to your visitors. For example, you can include a search bar or links to popular pages on your site. You can also change the text and design to make it more engaging and informative.

Step 6: Add Social Media Links

If you have social media profiles for your website, consider adding links to your 404 page. This can help your visitors connect with you on other platforms and continue engaging with your content even if they can’t find the page they were looking for.

Step 7: Monitor 404 Errors

After you’ve set up your custom 404 page, it’s important to monitor your website for 404 errors. You can use tools like Google Search Console to identify pages on your website that are returning 404 errors. Once you’ve identified these pages, you can either redirect them to a relevant page on your site or update them to include new content.

Step 8: Add Google Analytics Tracking

To track how many visitors are landing on your custom 404 page, you can add Google Analytics tracking. This will allow you to see how many visitors are landing on your 404 page, how long they are staying, and whether they are clicking on any of the links or buttons on the page.

Step 9: Add a Contact Form

If you have a contact form on your website, consider adding it to your 404 page. This will allow visitors to get in touch with you directly if they have any questions or concerns about your website.