The 404 Error (Page Not Found): It Is a Broken Promise

Award-winning writer Kathy Widenhouse has helped hundreds of nonprofits and writers produce successful content and has gained 600K+ views for her writing tutorials. She is the author of 9 books. See more of Kathy’s content here.

An online devotional for writers

A Word From The Word

He isn’t here! He is risen from the dead! Remember what he told you back in Galilee. (Luke 24:6, NLT)

A Word For Writers

You’ve seen the dreaded 404 Error: Page Not Found. The message pops up on your screen telling you that the web server cannot find the online page you’re looking for because … 

• Maybe the page was moved
• Maybe the page was deleted
• Maybe the page is blocked 

Bottom line: Page Not Found means the link is dead. 

Dead links, for the website or blog owner, mean you’re not managing your site actively and with best practices. Google frowns on that. That’s why dead links can lead to lower engine rankings. Who wants to click on a link and read Page Not Found when they’re looking for information? 

A link is a promise to readers that you’d lead them to the helpful information they seek. No matter the reason a 404 Error pops up on your site, it means you’re misleading users. You’re not keeping your promise to provide the reader with information.

Jesus made a promise: He told us He would live again. He kept His promise. After His death, Jesus’s followers found Him at the empty tomb, in the Upper Room, on the road to Emmaus, on the shores of the Sea of Galilee cooking fish, at the ascension … alive, just as He told us.

Page Not Found is a broken promise.

But you want to keep your promises to your readers. Manage your site or blog as closely as you can. Make sure your site’s links are active and keep their promises.

A Wise Word

Manage links on your site so they’re active.

A Word To Pray

Heavenly Father,

Thank you for keeping Your promises. Help me do the same. Let me manage my website actively so I can be worthy of my readers’ trust.

In Jesus’s name, Amen.

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