Google Webmaster Tools makes 404 pages more useful
For any webmaster / website owner avoiding having visitors come across a “404 page not found” error is an everyday struggle. 404’s happen for a variety of reasons - deleted content, mistyped URL, broken link, etc - none of them good. Google announced yesterday that they are helping webmasters with this dreaded page by adding “Enhance 404 pages” to their Webmaster Tools with the goal of making 404 pages more useful.
Through Google Webmaster Tools you can create a custom 404 page and embed the new 404 widget that, when a visitors arrives on the error page, attempts to direct the visitor to the correct / relevant content. The 404 widget populates the page with a suggested URL, shows links to the sub directory & sitemap and adds a site search query suggestion and search box. The 404 error widget is a JavaScript snippet generated through Webmaster Tools and is easily copied / pasted into a custom 404 page.
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