Tracking and Reporting 404 Errors
Overview
It is a simple process to track 404 errors (File Not Found errors) on your web site.
By following the instructions below, you can track and generate reports on all the 404 errors using MetaTraffic. You can use these reports to fix the file not found messages on your site.
Requirements
Before you get started, you need to have MetaTraffic installed on your web site.
If you don't have this already, you can download it here.
Full instructions on how to install MetaTraffic are in the readme.htm file included in
the download. You will also need a bit of HTML knowledge and the ability to setup
custom error pages to complete this tutorial. If you have problems,
post a message in the MetaTraffic Misc. forum in the support forum.
Instructions
- First you need to create a new web page with the 404 message in it. This is just a web page
that has a message saying "404 Error: File Not Found". It is a good idea to place common links to
other web pages at your site so that the user getting this error page can navigate to the correct spot.
Make sure you name the page with an obvious file name such as 404.asp or 404.htm.
- Now add the MetaTraffic tracking code to this page. The exact code depends on your
MetaTraffic setup; consult the MetaTraffic readme.htm file for full details.
- Upload the file to your web site.
- Now that you have created and uploaded your 404 page, you need to configure your web server
to point to this custom error page. This depends on your web hosting setup:
- You use a web hosting company:
If you are hosting your web site through a web hosting company, how you set up a custom 404 page
depends on your web hosting setup. Some web hosts provide a web hosting control panel that allows you
to configure a custom 404 page. Some will set this up manually for you. Contact your web hosting company
for details.
- You host your own web site:
If you have access to the web server running IIS, then you can run the IIS management console to
configure your custom error page. Right click on the web site you want to configure, click on
Properties. Click on the Custom Errors tab. You should see a list of HTTP errors. Find the one
that says 404 and select it. Click the Edit Properties button. Set the message type to
URL. The exact path you specify for the URL depends on where you uploaded your custom 404 page and what you named it. If you uploaded it to the root of your site and named the file 404.asp, the URL would normally be: /404.asp
Click OK twice and you are done configuring your custom error page.
- Now load your web browser and try accessing a page on your site that doesn't exist. (For example: http://www.yoursite.com/asdkfjajsdfjasdf/) Assuming everything is setup correctly, you should see your
custom 404 error page you created and MetaTraffic should log the 404 page access.
- Load the MetaTraffic report generator and select the Page Views By URL report. Select 500 items in
the options section and then click the Generate button. Scroll down until you see the name of your custom
error page. It should show up like this (assuming your error page is file name is 404.asp):
/404.asp?http://www.yoursite.com/asdkfjajsdfjasdf/
The url after the ? shows the exact page on your site that visitors are trying to access that doesn't exist
and is generating the error.
If you have questions or problems, please post a message in the Metatraffic Misc. forum in the
support forum.
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