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Google has come up with yet another tool and this time for the Webmasters; which allows them to create customized 404 error pages. This has been added into the Google toolbar and is available for the Internet Explorer presently with a version for Firefox soon. The purpose of it is to give alternate suggestions incase you punch a wrong URL or the link is broken. The alternatives include: the sites homepage and searches that can help users to locate the right page.

Google mentioned it in its blog, stating:

The 404 widget is a quick and easy way to embed a search box on your custom 404 page and provide users with useful information designed to help them find the information they need. Where we can, we’ll also suggest other ways for the user to find the information they need, thus increasing the likelihood that they’ll continue to explore your site.

It had created a similar error page for Google’s homepage too and has a widget that can be embedded and used to enhance the page and can be copy and paste form the site into the page template and is customizable.

This can be a lot helpful compared to the sickening error pages that had a user clueless about what exactly to do and waste time but with this new tool, users can make use of suggestions and get somewhere closer to what exactly they were after.