Does that look familiar? If you've ever accidentally tried to access a page that doesn't exist, possibly by following an outdated link or by misspelling name of page, you've probably seen something like above appear on your screen. You might have attempted to correct error by checking URL for mistakes, but it is even more likely that you just clicked "Back" and returned where you came from, never visiting site again.

For a surfer, encountering a "404 page" is a nuisance. For a webmaster, they can be far more problematic, causing a reduction in traffic which in turn means losing a part of precious advertising revenues or sales site's life depends on. You can minimize amount of 404 errors by periodically checking your pages for broken links, but it is impossible to get completely rid of them. So, what can you do?

The solution - Custom 404 pages ===============================

The best way to avoid losing visitors to 404's is to replace standard and unfriendly error message with a custom page. Fortunately task is relatively simple and can be performed by anyone who owns a site that has its own domain name.

As different server softwares handle things in their own ways, there is no single method of creating a custom error page that works with every system. The following instructions can be applied by those who have sites hosted under Apache, which is a very widely used program. If you don't know what software your host is running, contact them and ask.

To start process, use an FTP program such as CuteFTP to connect to your server. Search for a file named ".htaccess". Should you find it, download file to your home computer for editing. If file is not there, don't worry, you'll just have to create it yourself.

Applying this analogy to web hosting can help you make a wise decision if you are currently 1) new to internet business and looking for that first web host, or 2) up and running but thinking time has come to upgrade to a higher level.

Web hosts fall generally into 3 categories. They are: 1) Free Services 2) Budget Hosts (under $20-25 per month) 3) Full Service ($25+ per month)

Let's take a look at each category.

1. Free Services If you want to run a home page for personal interest for family and friends, great! If you want to ease into internet cautiously, great. Tripod.com offer a good free service with reasonable support. Or check out: http://zap.to/1freewebpage/ for a good listing of what's available.

In short, if you merely want to paddle around, have a little fun, gain some experience, these services are fine. For serious business however you really need your own domain name, not someone else's. Tripod takes edge off by allowing your name to come first in URL, e.g. http://yourname.tripod.com

Having said that, you can't get away from fact that your credibility as a business takes a hit when clients see this kind of domain name.

2. Budget Hosts You get what you pay for, generally. Many may knock value of budget hosts. If you are running a serious business, then probably this kind of package would not give enough stability or features.

Consider following first-hand nightmare experience: "One popular low-cost host left my entire site dead for over a week while I scrambled frantically to save my business. Heck, I couldn't even reach anyone or get them to return my plea for help. When dust settled, they had lost backups of my entire site and I was left to fend for myself." - Ken (Internet Marketing Challenge)