In this Guide: Understanding the 404 Error Log
Summary
This QuickGuide will step you through instructions how to view 404 errors within Urchin Statistics and the MonsterCommerce administration panel. You will also learn how to handle the 404 errors using the 404 Error Editor in the administration panel.
A 404 response indicates that the web browser was able to communicate with the server, but the server either could not find what was requested, or was unwilling to fulfill the request for it and did not wish to reveal the reason why. Reporting on 404 errors is available through Urchin statistics or the MonsterCommerce Admin Panel.
Viewing 404 Error Reports in Urchin Statistics
To view your 404 errors using Urchin Statistics:
- Log in to your MC Admin Panel
- Go to
- Log in to the Urchin Web Analytics system
- Click on Go To Reports Link
- Select the report
Viewing 404 Errors in the MC Admin Panel
To view your 404 errors using the MonsterCommerce Admin Panel:
- Log in to your MC Admin Panel
- Navigate to
- Within the Administrator Reports, you are able to select a date range for which to view 404 errors. The date ranges available are: Current Day, Previous Day, Current Week, and Previous Week
- After you have selected a date range, click the Get Report button. This will open the 404 Error Log Report.
The report tells you what file was requested, the referring URL, and the number of times that file was requested. You are also able to change the date range and sort by file requested or referring URL.
Note: If you click the Clear Log button in the Administrator Reports page, the existing 404 error logs will be deleted. As new 404 errors occur the logs will be updated but the historical information from previous days will no longer be available.
Customizing your 404 Error Page
Store Admins have the ability to customize the message displayed on the 404 Error page for your site. To specify the 404 Error message, navigate to Settings >> 404 Error Editor.
This page contains six customizable inputs. First is the Page Title. Text entered here will be displayed at the top of the browser in the Title Bar. Text entered in the Error Message to Display area will be displayed in the center content area of the web page. You can define up to five lines of text, each with a maximum of 255 characters. The text displayed will be in black 12 point arial font on a white background.
Note: The “Page Title” and “Error Message” fields can only contain regular text. HTML is not allowed in these fields. If no text is entered in this section the default title displayed is: “Page Not Found”, and the error message displayed is: “Page Not Found, We're Sorry. The page you are looking for cannot be found.”
Redirect Visitor to the Homepage if a 404 Error Occurs
The MonsterCommerce storefront offers the option to redirect visitors to the site homepage (index.asp) if the URL a visitor uses to access the site results in a 404 error. If the setting Redirect to homepage if 404 error occurs is set to Yes, then visitors will be redirected to the index.asp page of the site when a 404 error occurs. If the setting is No, then the 404 Error page mentioned in the previous section will be displayed.
Note: The redirect to the homepage occurs after a three second delay.
Enabling the 404 Redirect
Two important steps must be taken in order to have 404 errors redirect to the homepage:
- Navigate to Settings >> Site Wide Settings >> System Options tab and set Redirect to home page if 404 error occurs setting to Yes
- Navigate to Settings >> 404 Error Editor and click Save.
Note: If step 2 is not performed the redirect settings will not take affect.
Disabling the 404 Redirect
Disabling the redirect follows similar steps as enabling the redirect:
- Navigate to Settings >> Site Wide Settings >> System Options tab and set Redirect to home page if 404 error occurs setting to No
- Navigate to Settings >> 404 Error Editor and click Save.
Note: If step 2 is not performed the redirect settings will not take affect.