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Why do you want to change the standard 404 page
Nobody wants to visit the 404 page. Some visitors will try something else, but most vistors just go to the next search result of Google.
The bounce rate is ofcourse increasing when somebody hit on your 404 page! Let’s face it, when you enter a 404 page 90% of your visitors will stop there.
Higher ranking in Google
At your Google Analytics page you can check how many customers you will loose. My guess is 90 % of the user who will land on your 404 page will never return. A big disaster for your bounce rate. And this is probably a SEO factor. A better 404 page can lower your bounce rate and therefor can give you a better ranking in Google or any other search engine who also uses this bounce rate factor
If your user click a link which leads him to your 404 page then somebody made a mistake, but who cares. The user is there and now you want to guide him to your content. This is just good SEO and UX practice
The 404 template can be found in the parent theme. In the video will the 404 page be step by step changed into a client friendly page.
You will see how we copy the files 404.php, index.php and style.css to Notepad ++. In the local server the new 404 page will be created. Some simple CSS will be shown like div, margin and clear to align all blocks.
What should be on a 404 page?
The absolute minimum is of course a clickable link to your home page. Some excuse text would be nice.
The rest is up to your imagination. You can make a promotion, partly copy of a page, some advertisement. Lately I have seen also give aways, like an small e-book or small video tutorial.
Where is the 404 page in WordPress?
The template is called 404.php and is in the parent theme folder. On the picture below this is clearly blue marked in the right hand top corner.
Adjust the 404 page in WordPress
Easiest way is to copy the 404 page from the parent theme into a new page of your own editor. Later you can upload the 404.php to the child theme on your host. The themes can be found under wp-content.
In the video the editor Notepad ++ and the local server XAMPP are used.
On the picture it is clear to see that all the HTML will be over the PHP between the two DIVs.
To add the sidebar is just a matter of design. How much choice do you want to give to the user. Do you just want to give them one call to action button. Do you want to make a log-in page?
In the video, the div which holds the new HTML is adjusted. The margin is set to position the text. The text was copied from a page.
Higher ranking in Google
At your Google Analytics page you can check how many customers you will loose. My guess is 90 % of the user who will land on your 404 page will never return. A big disaster for your bounce rate. And this is probably a SEO factor. A better 404 page can lower your bounce rate and therefor can give you a better ranking in Google or any other search engine who also uses this bounce rate factor
If your user click a link which leads him to your 404 page then somebody made a mistake, but who cares. The user is there and now you want to guide him to your content. This is just good SEO and UX practice
The 404 template can be found in the parent theme. In the video will the 404 page be step by step changed into a client friendly page.
You will see how we copy the files 404.php, index.php and style.css to Notepad ++. In the local server the new 404 page will be created. Some simple CSS will be shown like div, margin and clear to align all blocks.
What should be on a 404 page?
The absolute minimum is of course a clickable link to your home page. Some excuse text would be nice.
The rest is up to your imagination. You can make a promotion, partly copy of a page, some advertisement. Lately I have seen also give aways, like an small e-book or small video tutorial.
Where is the 404 page in WordPress?
The template is called 404.php and is in the parent theme folder. On the picture below this is clearly blue marked in the right hand top corner.
Adjust the 404 page in WordPress
Easiest way is to copy the 404 page from the parent theme into a new page of your own editor. Later you can upload the 404.php to the child theme on your host. The themes can be found under wp-content.
In the video the editor Notepad ++ and the local server XAMPP are used.
On the picture it is clear to see that all the HTML will be over the PHP between the two DIVs.
To add the sidebar is just a matter of design. How much choice do you want to give to the user. Do you just want to give them one call to action button. Do you want to make a log-in page?
In the video, the div which holds the new HTML is adjusted. The margin is set to position the text. The text was copied from a page.