KB User's Guide - Settings Tab - Customizing Live Site Messages

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You must have full administrative permissions in your space to perform these steps. This means access to the Documents, Settings, and Users tabs.

Admins and Users who have permissions to access the Settings tab may customize messages for your KB site, such as those shown to users after they perform searches or try to access a document that is unavailable. This document will walk you through this process.

What is a Error Message?

An Error message is an HTTP standard response displayed when a server cannot locate the web page requested. It happens when your KB site encounters:

  • A mistyped URL
  • Copy-and-paste URL mistake
  • Broken links or truncated links on other web pages
  • Broken links or truncated links in an email message
  • Moved or deleted KB pages

Design a Custom Error Message for your KB Site

Display a customized error message to include:

  • a more natural description with language that is friendly and inviting
  • your KB site's branding
  • link leading to helpful information

  1. Navigate to the Settings Tab > Custom Messages link

    The Custom Messages page. The Settings tab at the top is circled in red. The Custom Messages page on the left side menu is also circled in red.

  2. You will be led to the Custom Messages page. You will be presented with six expandable panels, each with text fields in which you can create/modify distinct sets of instructions for the Internal and the External KB Site.

  • Internal Site Search Success Message
  • Internal Site Search Failure Message
  • Internal Site Page Not Found Message

Internal Site Custom Message examples.

  • External Site Search Success Message
  • External Site Search Failure Message
  • External Site Page Not Found Message 

External Site Custom Message examples.

Enter text, links, images, tables, etc. in these text fields using HTML formatting. 

  • Note: If you would like to add this type of content but are unsure of how to format it in HTML, you can open a new doc and use the WYSIWYG editor to format the content as desired. Then, switch to the HTML editor / code view to copy out the HTML that was generated for you. 

How to Avoid a Search Yielding an Error Message

Admins can run the KB Broken Link Checker

For some inspiration for creating your page, check out this article!


Keywordscustom 404 error page not found search success failure html   Doc ID55543
OwnerLeah S.GroupKB User's Guide
Created2015-08-24 14:04 CSTUpdated2023-11-20 12:19 CST
SitesKB User's Guide
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