Create a Custom "Page Not Found" for your Blogger Blog

If you have ever followed a bad link or typed in a URL incorrectly you have landed on a 404 "Page Not Found" Error page. For your Blogger blog, the default is a generic message:

Sorry, the page you were looking for in this blog does not exist.

Blogger "Page Not Found" message shown in different Themes

The format depends on your Blogger blog's Theme, but the message is the same.

But it's more common that sites use a custom error message, with a friendly greeting, navigation links or a search box, and funny, cute or interesting images.

Custom "Page Not Found" messages on Reddit, YouTube and Tumblr

How create a custom "Page Not Found" message for your own Blogger blog.

1. Create your error page as a Draft Blogger Blog post
2. Copy the post HTML 
3. Open your blog's Settings > Search Preferences
4. Under "Errors and Redirections" click the option to "Edit" Custom Page Not Found 
5. Paste in the HTML of your Custom Error Page and click "Save Changes"

Note that the HTML must be less than 10,000 characters.

You can test how your error page looks by trying to open a page on your blog that doesn't exist - just add random characters after a slash at the end of your blog's URL.

Read on for detailed instructions.

What you should include on your custom error page

At a minimum add navigation links to help people find what they are looking for. That is what I've done on this blog's error page. The links can go to your blog's home page, a label, static page or links to popular posts.

Other possibilities:

• Your contact information
• Embedded search box
• Link to your site's feed
• Link to subscribe
• Embedded social media posts

And, of course, a friendly greeting and nice picture.

Here are the Google Webmaster guidelines and suggestions for Custom 404 pages.

1. Create a Custom Error Page as a Draft Blogger post

If you know HTML, or just want to add a brief message, you could create your custom error page right in the Custom Error Page settings box. But for a more formatted page or for adding an image, the easiest way to do that is to create a draft Blogger blog post and copy the HTML.

1. Sign in to Blogger

2. Click the New Post button

3. Create your post in Compose mode, adding and formatting text and inserting images

4.  Save your post, but do not click the Publish button 

Note that the HTML must be less than 10,000 characters, so keep it short and sweet

2. Copy the Custom Error Page HTML

In the post editor:

1. Switch from Compose mode to HTML mode

2. Highlight and copy all the HTML code

3. Save your post, but do not click the Publish button 

4. Click the Close button to close the post

3. Open your blog's Search Preferences Settings

Custom Error Messages can be configured in your blog's Search Preferences Settings.

1. Open your blog's main administration page at www.blogger.com

2. On the left menu click Settings

3. Under Settings click Search Preferences

4. Create the Custom Error Page

Now you can create your blog's Custom Error Page.

1. On the Search Preferences page go to the section Errors and redirections

2. Next to Custom Page Not Found  click Edit

3. In the Edit box type in your message or paste in the Custom Error Page HTML 

4. Click Save Changes

That's it!