When a visitor lands on a non-existent or broken page on your website, they are often greeted with a generic “404 Error” message, which can be frustrating and unhelpful. By creating a custom 404 page, you can provide a more user-friendly and informative experience for your visitors. Here are the steps to create a custom 404 page in WordPress:
- Create a New Page in WordPress: In your WordPress dashboard, navigate to Pages > Add New. Give your page a title, such as “404 Page Not Found” or something similar.
- Add Content to Your 404 Page: Using the page editor, add content to your 404 page. This could include a message acknowledging that the page doesn’t exist, links to other pages on your site, a search bar, or any other content you think would be helpful for your visitors. Use H1, H2, and H3 tags to organize your content and make it easier to read.
- Set Your 404 Page as the Default: Install and activate the “404page” plugin in WordPress. This plugin allows you to easily set your custom 404 page as the default page for all 404 errors on your website. Once the plugin is installed and activated, go to Settings > 404page in your WordPress dashboard. Choose the page you just created as the default 404 page, and save your changes.
- Test Your Custom 404 Page: To make sure your custom 404 page is working properly, try navigating to a non-existent page on your site. You should be redirected to your custom 404 page, which should display the content you added in step 2.
By creating a custom 404 page in WordPress, you can improve the user experience for your visitors and keep them engaged on your website, even if they encounter a broken link or non-existent page.