404 - does page content matter?

[cazzzk]

Clicking on a URL which doesn't exist, for example, on eBay, brings up what I assume is 404 response with eBays's own page content which has a message at the top and then a normal page below it full of links to the rest of the site.

We want to send wrong or bad URLs to a 404 response which offers what looks like our homepage, complete with links, but still make sure the spiders see a 404 response.

Can we just put a copy of our homepage as our 404 page? Even if spiders see a 404 response, can they see see that the page has content and links or not?

Sorry - this is one area I haven't had to deal with before!

[Receptional Andy]

As far as I'm aware, as long as you have the correct HTTP response (1 404 status) the content doesn't matter and won't be indexed or used for content discovery.

That said, if you show you homepage content when the user is expecting to find specific content, they're likely to leave immediately. IMO you're better off with a page that either shows them closely-related content, or provides them a mechanism to locate similar content.

[cazzzk]

Our 404 response is the homepage but with a message to say the page requested is not found - the homepage contains a mechanism to find stuff on the rest of the site anyway.

This was implemented 3 days ago now and so far, so good.

[pageoneresults]

As long as the server header response returns a 404 Status Code, you could have anything you want on that page. For me, the 404 page plays an important role in assisting the user who may have arrived through a malformed link and/or reached a page that no longer exists (410 Gone).

You could follow Google's lead and even utilize their Custom 404 handling...

Make your 404 pages more useful
[googlewebmastercentral.blogspot.com...]

What would I want on that Custom 404 Error Page?

1. Search
2. Suggested Links
3. Links to Sitemaps
4. On Site Advertising

Those are just a few things. The first thing though is to make sure the visitor "knows" they have reached a page that no longer exists. Then take their hand and give them different options to proceed further without hitting that darn back button. ;)

Google Suggestions - Custom 404 Pages
[google.com...]

If you have access to your server, we recommend that you create a custom 404 page. A good custom 404 page will help people find the information they're looking for, as well as providing other helpful content and encouraging them to explore your site further.

Enhance your custom 404 page
[google.com...]

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.