Setting Up Custom Error Pages

Applies to: Infosaic Windows web hosting · shared and virtual servers

The server’s built-in error pages are blunt, unbranded and slightly alarming. A custom error page replaces them with something that looks like the rest of your site and, more usefully, tells the visitor what to do next.

The one worth doing first is the 404. Every site accumulates broken links over time — from old printed material, from other people’s out-of-date links, from renamed pages — and a helpful 404 page turns a dead end into a route back into the site.

Which errors you can customise

• HTTP 400 — Bad Request. The request was malformed. Rare, and usually not the visitor’s doing.
• HTTP 401 — Authorization Required. The page needs a sign-in that has not been provided.
• HTTP 403 — Forbidden. The page exists but access is not allowed — often a folder with no default document and directory browsing switched off.
• HTTP 404 — File Not Found. The address does not exist. By far the most frequently seen.
• HTTP 500 — Internal Server Error. Something in your site’s code failed.

Each one can point at a different page, or several can share one.

Setting one up

1. Create the page and upload it to your hosting space, the same way as any other page.
2. Sign in at controlpanel.infosaic.com.
3. Open the custom error pages section.
4. Choose the error code and point it at the page you uploaded.
5. Save, then test it by requesting an address that does not exist.

Always test. An error page that itself errors is easy to create and hard to notice, because you have to be looking for it.

What makes an error page useful

• Say plainly what happened, without a code number as the headline. “We cannot find that page” beats “HTTP 404”.
• Give a route onwards — the home page, the main sections, a search box if you have one.
• Keep the site’s normal navigation, so the visitor is not stranded.
• Do not blame the visitor. Most 404s are caused by a link that was wrong, not a typo.
• Do not redirect the whole thing to the home page. It looks tidy and it is confusing — the visitor is left wondering what happened to the page they clicked.

A 404 page is often the only page a first-time visitor sees. It is worth ten minutes.

Questions and answers

Which errors can I create custom pages for?

HTTP 400, 401, 403, 404 and 500.

Where do I set up custom error pages?

In your control panel at controlpanel.infosaic.com, after uploading the page to your hosting space.

Which one should I do first?

The 404 page. It is the one visitors see most often.

Can several errors use the same page?

Yes, though a page written for the specific error is more useful.

Why does my custom error page not appear?

Usually because the path is wrong or the page was not uploaded. Test by requesting an address you know does not exist.

What should a 500 error page avoid?

Depending on anything dynamic. It appears when something has already failed, so keep it static and self-contained.

Should a 404 redirect to my home page?

Better not to. Visitors are left unsure whether the page moved or never existed. Explain, then offer a way onward.

Why am I getting a 403 on a folder?

Often because there is no default document in it and directory browsing is switched off.

Related articles

• Setting your default document
• Home folder, redirects and site security settings
• Creating virtual directories
• Stopping and restarting your website
• Checking which extensions your server supports
• How do I contact tech support?