03-19-2007, 01:17 PM
Quote:We understand what 404 means: Page Not Found. But the average internet user has no idea what 404 means or what to do about it. To them, it's yet another unintelligible error message from the computer. Most 404 pages are unvarnished geek-speak...
We can stop relying on the default behavior of our webservers and web browsers, and create our own custom 404 page...
full article: http://www.codinghorror.com/blog/archives/000819.html
Quote:404 Must-haves
As well as the something went wrong text, you should ensure that your error page has the following:
* A link to the site map (if you have one) and the home page. This is the easiest way for users to bail out. This no-brainer requires no clever scripting.
* A search box. If you have a site search, add it to your 404 page. If you dont have a site search and are in the habit of generating 404 errors, perhaps you should get one.
* A distinctly minimalist look. Avoid putting all your standard site navigation on this page. You should aim to remove distractions. Besides, insisting on including a complete site navigation strip may present a maintentance overhead (your 404 page can easily lag behind the rest of the site if it is not dynamically updated with the rest of your site and the last thing you want is to have navigation on the 404 that is no longer relevant/working. Oh the irony!)...
full article: http://alistapart.com/articles/perfect404/