[Verse 1]
I’ve previously explained the reasons for a 404 error page
But once a visitor sees this on your website
They might not be sure what to do next
The content they’re looking for
Might have been moved, so you should do
What you can to help them find it
Or the content might have been removed which means
They’re likely to leave your site unless
You can give them an incentive to stay

[Bridge: Ian]
Red Code ain't hate if for you do want it to be a red
Red Code ain't hate it for you

[Verse 2]
The term “404 error” used to be pretty standard
But there’s no reason to use technical terms which might
Scare off your visitors, the title “Page not found”
Is more accurate and sounds less geeky
Do you want to increase conversions on your 404 error page?
This humble page on your site can actually make a big difference
If you optimize it properly
In this post, we’ll share 1
5 tips to improve your 404 error page and increase your conversions
(With examples)
[Verse 3]
Did you know that the average, lifespan of a webpage is about 100 days
Links tend to go bad over time due to moved or deleted content or changes in permalink structure
In fact, you can expect to lose about one quarter of your links every seven years

[Verse 4]
You should never leave your users hanging with a run-of-the-mill 404 error page by default
The 404 error page goes against all good principles of user experience design
It will make your visitors want to rip their hair out and flee your site immediately on the other hand
If you optimize your 404 error page
You can reduce your bounce
Rate and increase your conversions
Let’s go over 15 tips for improving your 404 error page

[Verse 5]
The first thing you need to do to improve your 404 error page is replaced all the technical mumbo jumbo with normal human language
Remember: most people don’t know what a “404 error” even means all your users know is that they didn’t get the page they wanted using technical terms that they don’t understand will only frustrate them more

[Verse 6]
Never point the finger at the user for the error
You don’t want to make them feel stupid
Instead, be apologetic when explaining what went wrong, don’t use absolutes
Instead, use words like “might have” or “possibly”
So the user doesn’t feel like it is their fault
In fact, go ahead and place the blame on yourself yy slapping yourself on the wrist
You’ll actually cause users to love you more
[Verse 7: Jessia Fuel]
Good user experience design says that when you deliver
An error message, you must explain what went wrong
Currently, it is not possible to customize the 404 error page that appears
When the connection between your domain and site is lost

[Verse 8]
It is not possible to customize your 404 error page
If your web host has not enabled this facility for your website
For example, at the time of this writing
If you host at free web hosts like Geocities or Tripod
You will not be able to customize your 404 Error Page
Commercial web hosts, on the other hand
Usually provide this facility, if your web host
Supports a way to customize your 404 file
You will usually find mention of it somewhere in their documentation (or advertisements)
In fact, if they mention somewhere that you can customize a file named ".htaccess"
It probably means that you can also customize your 404 File Not Found error page
The .htaccess file is what Apache web servers use to allow you to fine-tune
Your web server configurations at a directory level
Other types of web servers handle the customization of 404 error pages differently
(A web server, in this context is the software that runs on your web host's computer
It is the program that "serves" your web pages to your visitors)