A 404 page is an error page that gets shown to your visitors whenever they stumble upon a page on your website that doesn’t exist or no longer exists. This can happen when you remove a post or page without setting up redirections (there are plugins available such as simple 301 redirects).
By default, most websites will display a message such as Page not found plus a search bar. Guess what usually happens? Most people can care less to search your non-existent page, so they bounce and take their money elsewhere.
In this article, I want to talk about how you can turn your 404 pages into lead generation, so you can potentially gain a customer even though they landed on an error page. Without further ado, let’s get started!
Note: This page contains ZERO affiliate links. Which means if you click on any link and buy a product or service on this page, I will not be earning a commission. This page is written solely for educational purposes to help you make more money online.
Don’t Use The Default 404 Page
By default, your website or blog will have its own generic default 404 page. Again, it will tell them that it’s an error page with a search bar (most people won’t use it). Instead, what you want to do is to keep this visitor on your page and point them in the right direction.
For example, my blog is all about making money online and internet marketing. So instead of providing my potentially lost visitors with a generic message. I created a custom page (still working on making it better) to capture their information and give them something in return.
See what I did there? Instead of telling my readers that the page they entered no longer exist. I offered to give away a free eBook, so they don’t leave empty-handed.
I am going to assume that if someone lands on my page whether it exists or not. They are probably here for information on how to make money online. So why not turn my 404 page into a lead generation page?
What you do to your 404 page is up to you! You can recommend products or simply capture your visitor’s information, so you can market to them after.
How To Customize Your 404 Page In WordPress
I’m going to start off by saying that there are different ways to customize your 404 Page depending on your WordPress theme. If you’re not sure how you can simply make a Google Search on “Your themes name + Custom 404 Page.”
For X theme (the one I’m using), it comes with a 404 extension, so all I did was to create a custom page. I used cornerstone for this, but you can use other page creation tools such as thrive architect.
There are free alternatives as well, but most do offer a premium plan if you want to unlock all the bells and whistles such as Elementor (Free or $49/annually) or SiteOrigin (Free or $29/annually).
For the 404 extensions, you can download free plugins available in the WordPress plugins directory. Here’s a free plugin that you can use today called 404page.
In Conclusion
I hope this has inspired you to take action and customize your own 404 page. As an internet marketer, you want to put offers in front of your visitors as often as you can. Even if it’s free!
The point is to build a readership and that’s why I didn’t include any affiliate links to this blog post. It’s not always about the money. It’s about building a relationship with your readers and helping them out.
I do have affiliate offers on my website though. I mean, if I’m not making money online. How can I teach you how to make money online, right?
If you have any questions, comments, or concerns. Please feel free to leave a message down below and I will do my best to help you out!
Kind Regards,
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