Internet Marketing - Matt Bailey [173]
The advantage to the CSS layout is that it is easily adaptable, making the CSS site very flexible, especially when loading into other devices, such as smartphones. Because a strict programming style such as tables is not used, the CSS “flows” and also makes accessibility easier, making the programming much more fluid. Websites become much more flexible across different devices, browsers, and operating systems.
Tuesday: Create Better Error Pages
One of the best investments in time on your website is to create a custom error page. An error page is a default page that the visitor sees when the page they requested is not found. Nearly every Internet user has landed on a generic, server-generated 404 error page at least once (see Figure 15-6).
Figure 15-6: A typical 404 error page
Error-Page Basics
The reasons that a visitor stumbles upon your error page are many, and they are not always under your control. It could be an error in the code on a particular page that prevents the proper page from being delivered. Another website may have linked to your site and misspelled the URL name, or it could be a link to an older page, prior to your redesign. Sometimes, users attempt to directly navigate to a page on a website and mistype a character. Most likely, however, the page was removed altogether and no “forwarding address” was provided (remember the purpose of the 301 redirect, discussed in Chapter 14).
If there are no redirects in place after you redesign your website and the page URLs have changed, then your visitors from the search engines, bookmarks, and links will all see your error page. One of the most common times that visitors find error pages is from the search results. As you may remember, search engines download copies of your website to their database. Even if you redesign your website and create new pages, the old ones are still retained in the database for some time. If those old pages held any rankings at all and there are no redirects in place, then those searchers who click the link will go to the error page and see the generic “page not found” message.
Whatever the cause, you need to ensure that when a visitor comes upon your error page, the error page is a navigation tool and not a dead end. This is the reason for the custom error page; it is a contingency plan for when things go wrong (it is not “if” they go wrong—it is “when,” so it is simply smart planning to account for anything that could go wrong for your visitors).
Consider Your Phrasing
At the very least, your error page should contain the main navigation of your website. Sorry to say, I have seen many custom error pages that simply provide the error message but no method of getting back into the website. You need to provide the visitor another means of navigation other than their Back button. If the visitor uses the Back button when finding your error page from a search, you have lost them. Keep the visitor moving forward and making progress.
Your goal is to create a friendly, helpful message that communicates assistance. Provide the main navigation as well as helpful groups of links to specific information groups within the website. Offer a search box, especially if it works well on your website (that will be addressed in Wednesday’s lesson). If you offer promotions or campaigns, offer those links as well.
Be proactive by developing a report in your analytics program, checking on this page every month or quarter, and seeing how your visitors are finding the page. This allows you to correct issues as they are found, rather than letting things creep up as a surprise. In all, the error page needs to be a resource and not a dead end. Be sure you know which it is and how your visitors are finding it and reacting