The page you were looking for does not exist.
``` ### The status code trap If your custom page returns a 200 OK status instead of 404, search engines treat it as a real page. Every mistyped URL on your site becomes a valid page with the same content. That is a duplicate content problem, and it can hurt your search ranking. The server sends a 200 status by default for any HTML file that loads without error. You need to override that in the same `.htaccess` file. Add this line above the `ErrorDocument` line, or right after it: ``` RewriteEngine On RewriteRule ^404\.html$ - [L,R=404] ``` This forces Apache to send a 404 status when it serves `404.html`. The page content is your custom version, but the status code tells crawlers and browsers that the original URL did not exist. The order does not matter much here, but if you ever add more rewrite rules, keep the `ErrorDocument` line and the `RewriteRule` together so you do not forget one when you copy the config to a new site. If the path in your `ErrorDocument` line is wrong or points to a file that does not exist, you get a [500 internal server error](/errors/500-internal-server-error/) instead of your custom page. The server cannot find the document it was told to use, so it crashes. Check the filename and the leading slash. ## Relative paths and broken assets If your 404 page loads a stylesheet, an image, or a JavaScript file, the browser resolves the path relative to the URL in the address bar. A visitor at `yoursite.com/blog/some-old-post/` will look for `yoursite.com/blog/some-old-post/style.css`, not `/style.css`. Always use absolute paths for everything in your 404 page. That means a leading slash on every `src` and `href`: - `/style.css` not `style.css` or `../style.css` - `/images/logo.png` not `images/logo.png` - `/js/main.js` not `js/main.js` The same rule applies to links inside your 404 page. A link to `contact.html` goes to `yoursite.com/blog/some-old-post/contact.html` and breaks. Use `/contact.html` instead. ## Multiple error pages in one go You can handle other status codes the same way. The default [500 error page](/errors/500-internal-server-error/) is also plain. A common pattern is: ``` ErrorDocument 403 /errors/403.html ErrorDocument 404 /404.html ErrorDocument 500 /errors/500.html ``` Create the HTML files, use absolute paths, and add a rewrite rule for each one that forces the correct status code. If you host a static site, the [guide on static websites](/guides/how-to-host-a-website/static-website/) covers how to structure the rest of your files. ## Testing your custom 404 Visit a URL on your site that does not exist, such as `yoursite.com/test-404-please-ignore/`. If you see your custom page, it works. Check the browser's developer tools (Network tab) to confirm the response status is 404. If it is 200, you missed the rewrite rule. If you get a 500 error, the path in `ErrorDocument` is wrong or the file does not exist. One practical detail: CWP's free hosting does not include backups. If you delete `404.html` by accident, the server falls back to its default 404 page. Keep a copy of your config and your custom page somewhere outside the account. --- Content Website Platform (cwp.sg) operates the free hosting it writes about; see https://cwp.sg/about/ for the methodology and the commercial disclosure.