Increase Your Traffic
by Recovering Your Lost Visitors
If you spend
any time surfing the Internet, you've probably encountered a few error
messages.
Error messages have numerous causes, such as misspellings, outdated links
or internal server errors. When an error is encountered, your server will
display specific generic error pages according to the error. These error
pages are not only dead ends, but they are also very frustrating for your
potential visitors.
When your visitors mistype your web address or click on an outdated link
and receive the dreaded error page, they'll most-likely click on their back
button and never return. However, you can recover a majority of your lost
visitors simply by taking the time to create some customized, user friendly
error pages.
As servers run different types of software and do not function in the same
manner, there isn't a simple method for creating custom error pages that
will work with every system. However, if you have your own domain and your
site is hosted on a Unix/Linux server running Apache, this article will assist
you in creating custom error pages.
If you're not sure what type of server you're on, visit the following web
address to find out:
http://uptime.netcraft.com/up/graph/
Before we begin, keep in mind, editing your server files is serious business.
Even one small typographical error can wreak havoc -- make sure you make
a backup copy of any file you're planning to edit.
Guidelines for creating your error pages:
1. Create your error pages in standard HTML -- just as you would create any
other web page for your site.
2. Don't alarm your visitors. Never include the word "ERROR" in large, bold
text. Your visitors may immediately become alarmed and think they've done
something to cause the error. Instead, be apologetic and encourage your visitors
to click on the navigational links to locate additional resources and
information.
3. Your error
pages should look just like the rest of your web pages. Each error page should
contain good navigational links, a search feature, and provide information
in regard to the specific error they received.
If you'd like to see an example error page, visit the following web address:
http://www.web-source.net/error.htm
Once you've created an error page, save it as the error name. For example,
if you're creating a customized error page for a 400 Bad Request error, your
page should be saved as 400.html.
Here are some of the more common errors:
400 Bad Request
401 Authorization Required
403 Forbidden
404 File Not Found
405 Method Not Allowed
500 Internal Server Error
501 Method Not Implemented
502 Bad Gateway
503 Service Temporarily Unavailable
Once you've created your pages, you'll need to access your server via FTP
and create a new folder called "errordocs" where you store your HTML files.
Upload your new error documents into your new folder.
Your next step will be to locate your .htaccess file and download it to your
computer. (If you use FrontPage to publish your web pages, you cannot customize
the .htaccess file, as FrontPage uses the .htaccess file. Editing the file
may cause errors in your configuration.) The .htaccess file should be located
on your server where you store your HTML files.
If the .htaccess file isn't visible, you can create one within a plain text
editor. However, you must first make sure your server isn't configured to
hide the file. Your FTP program should enable you to choose to display hidden
files and folders on your server.
Once you've downloaded your .htaccess file, open it within a plain text editor,
such as Note Pad, and add the following lines below any other text that may
be present:
ErrorDocument 400 /errordocs/400.html
ErrorDocument 401 /errordocs/401.html
ErrorDocument 403 /errordocs/403.html
ErrorDocument 404 /errordocs/404.html
ErrorDocument 405 /errordocs/405.html
ErrorDocument 500 /errordocs/500.html
ErrorDocument 501 /errordocs/501.html
ErrorDocument 502 /errordocs/502.html
ErrorDocument 503 /errordocs/503.html
If you're creating your own .htaccess file, open a plain text editor and
add the above lines.
When typing in the information, make certain you type it exactly as it appears
above. You can include the error documents of your choice.
Once the file is complete, save it as .htaccess and upload it to your server,
via FTP in ASCII mode, where you store your HTML files.
For additional information on File Transfer Protocol (FTP) you may visit:
http://www.web-source.net/ftp_basics.htm
If you have a Windows operating system, you will be unable to save the file
as .htaccess. You'll need to save it as htaccess.txt. Once you upload the
file to your server, you can rename it to .htaccess.
That's all there is to it. When your visitors click on an outdated link,
your custom error page will now be displayed.
Creating your own custom error pages is well worth the time and effort, as
they will enable you to recover an unlimited number of your visitors. If
you follow this step by step guide, you can have your pages up and running
in no time.
Copyright © Shelley
Lowery
About the Author:
Shelley Lowery is the author of the acclaimed web design course, Web Design
Mastery.
http://www.webdesignmastery.com
And, Ebook Starter - Give Your Ebooks the look and feel of a REAL book.
http://www.ebookstarter.com
Visit Web-Source.net to sign up for a complimentary subscription to Etips
and receive a copy of the acclaimed ebook, "Killer Internet Marketing
Strategies."
http://www.web-source.net
You have permission to publish this article electronically, in print,
in your ebook or on your web site, free of charge, as long as the author
bylines are included.
More Articles
|
|
