HTTP codes are a vital component of web communication and play a crucial role in Search Engine Optimization (SEO). They provide important information about the status of a web request. Well-known examples are the 200 code for successful requests, or the 404 code, which indicates that a page was not found.
Statamic offers the option to create custom templates for various HTTP codes. This allows web developers to provide tailor-made pages for users, even if they encounter an error.
The 404 error code template is particularly important as it is often seen by visitors who have stumbled upon a non-existent page. It provides an excellent opportunity to keep these visitors on your website and redirect them to other, relevant content. To customize this template in Statamic, you have to edit the file resources/views/errors/404.antlers.html.
In this template, you could, for example, insert a user-friendly error message, links to other pages on your website, or even a search box to encourage the user to continue browsing your site.
With such adjustments, you not only improve the user experience but also the SEO of your website. Search engines recognize that your 404 pages contain useful content and are likely to rank them higher. Moreover, you prevent visitors from immediately leaving your website when they encounter a 404 error, which can positively impact your bounce rate. Overall, such adjustments strengthen the SEO performance of your website and demonstrate the diverse possibilities that Statamic offers with its HTTP code templates.