Good things about WordPress: Error 404 Page Not Found

One particular nice feature about WordPress is the so called error 404 Page not Found default page. What it means is that if for whatever reason a reader types in the wrong web address for a post on your blog, or if a Google search or some link on someone else’s web site still lists a post or page on your site that you have already deleted, the reader will not be met with a blank white page with no clue what to do, but will still find your blog. With this WordPress feature the visitor is more likely to stay on your blog and search for the missing post.

TypePad Error 404 Page Not Found

TypePad does not have this feature, and in TypePad it looks like this if you’re looking for a page/post that does not exist on my blog:

Arrggh! What are you most likely going to do? Go away and find another blog, most likely, and another potential reader lost for me.

WordPress Error 404 Page Not Found

This is what you get on a WordPress blog:

The actual message may differ slightly from theme to theme. Some times, there will be a search box displayed, so you can type in directly what you searched for that brought you here. Which reminds me, I really should put up a search box in the sidebar on my blog.

Example

Try this link to see what happens in this theme.

Why is this useful?

This feature is particularly useful if you’re moving from TypePad or moving an existing domain to WordPress, because this means no broken links, stemming from Google searches or other people linking in. If you’re planning on migrating a domain to WordPress, this is the one feature that would win me over.

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