How many people visit your web site but type in the wrong address? You'd be surprised! What happens to them if they try to reach a page you've deleted? In either event, they'll get what is known as a '404 error'. This means you have lost sales - and confidence in your web site, which means they'll never revisit. But there is a solution.
Don't you get frustrated when you visit a web site and all you get is an error telling you the site doesn't exist? Do you get annoyed when you see the following message:
The page cannot be found
The page you are looking for might have been removed, had its name changed, or is temporarily unavailable.
HTTP 404 - File not found
Internet Explorer
Well, guess what, people who visit your web site and get the same error are also annoyed and frustrated with you. And that means they'll probably never visit your site again and have lost confidence in you. Equally, they won't tell their friends about your amazing services or the wonders of your web site. More importantly than losing their visit, however, is the fact that you have lost a sale - and the opportunity for repeat sales. The '404 error' is a serious problem and one that needs resolving if your site is to perform at its maximum effect.
Thankfully, there is a solution. The first thing you need to do is to take your main sales web page and ensure that all the links are 'absolute' and not 'relative'. By that I mean you should convert links which say things like 'salespage.htm' to the full address of 'http://www.yourwebsitename.com/salespage.htm'. You should also convert all the image links to their full address - instead of '../images/picture1.htm' it should be something like 'http://wwwyourwebsitename.com/images/picture1.htm'.
Having done this you should now go online to your web hosting account. Almost all web hosting companies will allow you to create a 'custom error page' or a 'custom 404 page'. Go to the relevant part of your hosting account and copy the code you have just edited into the appropriate place.
When people type the wrong address, or when you delete a page, people will still be able to get to your site and see a page which could sell to them. To see this in action visit my web site http://www.infoselling.com. After the .com type a slash (/) and then anything you like. Try to avoid typing a word which you think I might have in a page name. Perhaps type nonsense or your own name. See what you get. Now try the same experiment with another web site and see what happens - try it on Ecademy for instance!
Having a custom 404 page which actually sells something is essential. You are losing a substantial number of potential customers if your site does not have a proper page to deliver to people who mistype things or who are trying to access a deleted page.
Graham Jones is a psychologist who has specialized in the way we use the Internet. He is an expert on information products and runs Infoselling.com where you can get a FREE report on how to sell your own infoproducts.
![]() Google News Updated : Mon, 13 Oct 2008 11:51:33 GMT UK government takes stake in three banks - CNN International
CNN International - LONDON, England (CNN) -- The British government on Monday said it would make a multi-billion investment in three of the country's major banks to help them through the "first financial crisis of the global age. In quotes: Bank bail-out reaction TEXT-Lloyds TSB terms for acquisition of HBOS Publ.Date : Mon, 13 Oct 2008 11:18:47 GMT European, Asian markets bounce back - The Associated Press
The Associated Press - LONDON (AP) - European markets opened strongly Monday following Asia's lead in response to the widespread government efforts over the weekend to shore up the world's troubled financial system. The financial crisis A light at the end of the tunnel? World stock markets welcome European bank rescue Publ.Date : Mon, 13 Oct 2008 10:23:04 GMT Dodgers stand up to Phillies in Game 3 win - FOXSports.com
FOXSports.com - by Ken Rosenthal Ken Rosenthal has been the senior baseball writer for FOXSports.com since Aug. 2005. He appears weekly on the FSN Baseball Report and MLB on FOX. LA revitalized at Moyer's expense Kuroda's pitch serves its purpose for Dodgers Publ.Date : Mon, 13 Oct 2008 07:00:36 GMT 1.5 million G1 Android phones pre-ordered - TG Daily
TG Daily - By Wolfgang Gruener Chicago (IL) - T-Mobile’s upcoming G1 may not be the best-looking iPhone rival, it may not have the most complete feature set and T-Mobile may have undersold the device at the recent launch event. Get ready for next-gen mobile HTC G1 Android Phone Racks up 1.5 Million Pre-orders Publ.Date : Mon, 13 Oct 2008 05:21:21 GMT Fantastic finishes: 5 NFL games down to the wire - Washington Post
Washington Post - Dallas Cowboys' Mat McBriar (1) has his punt blocked by Arizona Cardinals' Sean Morey as Monty Beisel (52) looks on during overtime of an NFL football game Sunday, Oct. 12, 2008 in Glendale, Ariz. Blocked punt downs Dallas Backups Burst Through Line and Lift Cardinals in Overtime Publ.Date : Mon, 13 Oct 2008 08:15:50 GMT Forecast: Summery Sunshine Sticks Around - Washington Post
Washington Post - Columbus Day will feel a lot more like Labor Day as temperatures climb to around 80 degrees. This unseasonably warm weather will continue for the next several days. Enjoy a warm, sunny Columbus Day Beautiful start to the work week Publ.Date : Mon, 13 Oct 2008 09:03:26 GMT Manatee dies before reaching rehab site - Boston Globe
Boston Globe - By Emily Canal After a 27-hour trip to Florida, Dennis the manatee, rescued from the frigid waters of Cape Cod, died in Orlando yesterday as SeaWorld employees carted the mammal to a rehabilitation center. Video: Rescued Manatee Dies After Mass. Rescue Manatee rescued off Cape Cod dies en route to Florida Sea World Publ.Date : Mon, 13 Oct 2008 07:21:21 GMT Increase Online Traffic |
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