Custom 404 Error Page
by WP Chill · SEO
Also makes 28 other plugins · 383.6K+ installs across the portfolio →
Use any static page as the 404 error page.
Try it live opens a temporary test site in your browser, which can take about 20 seconds to load. Plugins that rely on outside services or a full server may not work completely there.
Health
C 68/100
Stale · Few reviews
Active installs
1K+
≈1.6K estimated
Momentum
+29%
downloads vs prior 30d
Biggest opportunity: Swap “custom” and “page” for “custom 404” and “error page”. “custom” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “custom 404” sits at #12 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. “page” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “error page” sits at #12 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. All five slots are taken, so one has to go.
68 health vs 65 average across 2,224 SEO plugins
Install conversion
How it's measured →3.2%
of downloads still active
At least 1K of 31.1K lifetime downloads are still running, above its category: the median SEO plugin keeps 1.2%, across 1,193 plugins.
Downloads count every update, not just first installs, so older and more frequently released plugins read lower. Compare against other SEO plugins, not across the directory. wp.org reports active installs as the bottom of a band, so the real rate is this or higher.
Details
Directory ranking optimization
How it's scored →How well this listing is tuned to rank in WordPress.org search, on the factors an owner controls. Not popularity, optimization.
Well optimized
Most to gain: Rating quality
Updated 375 days ago, past the ~180 days where wp.org starts discounting
Tested up to WordPress 6.8.12, the current branch or newer
4.1★ over 9 reviews, smoothed to 4.10★ and held back under 25 reviews
5 of 5 tags set · short description in place
To rank higher: Too few reviews to rank on quality — nudge happy users to leave one.
Get the full rank-higher report →Search visibility
How it's tracked →Directory searches this plugin turns up in, and which way each one is moving. WordPress.org publishes no history of search positions, so this starts the day we first tracked a keyword and never backfills.
40
Momentum
Losing ground
-0.6
Velocity
places per keyword, 27d
30%
Breadth
of keywords climbing, 27d
-0.5
Acceleration
recent half vs earlier
wp.org is where the directory puts the plugin for that search. On merit is where it would sit if results were ranked on rating, support and updates, without the install boost. The last column is how far the wp.org position moved, from our first reading in the last 90 days to the latest.
| Keyword | wp.org | On merit | wp.org move, 90 days |
|---|---|---|---|
| custom 404 | #12 | #22 | down 1 |
| error page | #12 | #22 | down 4 |
| 404 error | #15 | #19 | up 1 |
| error | #19 | #24 | 0 |
| not found your tag | #21 | #24 | down 2 |
| page not found error | #10 | #20 | — |
| error 404 | #13 | #20 | down 1 |
| custom 404 page | #18 | #23 | down 1 |
| page 404 | #24 | #24 | — |
| 404 page | #24 | #23 | down 3 |
| custom your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| page your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| seo your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
12 searches this plugin appeared in over the last 90 days, 10 listed. 2 left out as unrelated or noise (years, numbers, stray words). 3 of its tags aren't in the top 24 for their own search.
What to do about it
- Swap “custom” and “page” for “custom 404” and “error page”. “custom” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “custom 404” sits at #12 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. “page” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “error page” sits at #12 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. All five slots are taken, so one has to go.
Daily downloads
Since 5 Oct 2022 · 1,489 days · wp.org + Plugin Pulse archive
30-day downloads
Rolling 30-day volume · peak 1.1K · peaks are release surges
Directory rank vs rivals
wp.org popularity rank over time · higher is better · when a rival's line climbs above yours, they've overtaken you
Rating trend
Star average over time · dips mark rough releases
Health trend
Composite health score, snapshotted daily
Update activity
How busy the existing users are, measured as downloads in the last 30 days for every 1,000 active sites. A spike means a new release everyone's pulling; a long, slow decline means an aging user base that updates less.
Release cadence
No release in a yearHow often this plugin actually ships. A steady rhythm is the maintenance signal a single "last updated" date can't show.
0
releases in the last 12 months
1.0y ago
latest release · v0.2.6 · 22 Oct 2025
7
tagged releases on record
Recent releases
What its installed base runs
via wordpress.orgShare of active installs on each version of this plugin · 100% run the current release. Green is the current release; a big slice on older versions is a user base that has stopped updating.
Estimated active installs
The public count shows “1K+”. Our estimate pins where the real number sits.
Crossed into this band 5 months ago; a band this size takes about a year or more to cross, which places it about 57% of the way through.
Install history since 10 Oct 2016
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- ★★★★★ Michael Galli6.4y ago
Thank you for the simple solution. Works perfectly!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ farnott6.5y ago
I ran into an issue with a 404 plugin I was using (404page) – it was conflicting with Thrive Leads so I tried this plugin and it seems to work perfectly! I checked the http headers response and it’s 404 as you would hope, not simply a redirect to a page that returns a 200. If the developer accepts donations I’ll gladly make one!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ birkof00711.5y ago
Fantastic plugin!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ pmconsulting12.1y ago
Although this plugin does attempt to load any page, the page loads without properly executing the WordPress loop, so the resulting page does not contain the things you may have added. If you theme support such things as hiding the page title, or if you are using Visual Composer, none of those work, either. Very dissapointing!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Barnabas12.1y ago
This plugin solved an important issue as regards peeping top that disregards trendy solution (wordpress mourners)and want to know if one is using wordpress with aim to belittle the site. The 404 plugin will give them a page outer the moon..lol! Thanks
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ theamazingaustin12.2y ago
Did exactly what it said it would! Made my job easier while dealing with a prebuilt theme.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Amir Zisko12.4y ago
Does what is says, simply edit the 404.php in the theme folder in your own way! I searched for hours, this one is the best and most simple! Thanks!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ master41216012.5y ago
Does what it says.
Read on wp.org ↗
Behavioral tests
via WP HiveAutomated install-time checks, tested on PHP 8.1.12 · WP 6.9
AI assistants
How it's measured →Whether ChatGPT and Claude name this plugin when asked the category question, and whether the readme gives them something to quote.
Not measured yet for this plugin’s topics. Its tracked searches are not among the measured topics. See the topics measured so far.
Readme readiness
0 of 8 pass · checked 28 Oct 2026Can an assistant quote this readme? Eight deterministic checks over the wp.org listing, no model involved.
- ! Says what it does Short description names no action; say what the plugin does for the site.
- ! Has a FAQ No FAQ section.
- ! FAQ asks real questions No FAQ to judge.
- ! Names who it is for Never says who the plugin is for or what they use it for.
- ! Names what it works with Names no plugin, service or platform it works with.
- ! Headings and lists 0 headings and 0 lists; assistants quote headed sections and bullet lists, not paragraphs.
- ! Enough to quote 86 characters of description; under 1,000 there is little to quote.
- ! Tags match the text Only 2 of 5 tags appear in the text ("custom", "not found", "seo" missing).
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2026-05-27 2K+ → 1K+ down after 1 days in tier
- 2026-05-26 1K+ → 2K+ up after 2 days in tier
- 2026-05-24 2K+ → 1K+ down after 5 days in tier
- 2026-05-19 1K+ → 2K+ up after 2 days in tier
- 2026-05-17 2K+ → 1K+ down after 1113 days in tier
- 2023-04-30 3K+ → 2K+ down after 1259 days in tier
- 2019-11-18 4K+ → 3K+ down
Competes with
The plugins that solve the same job, ranked by shared tags then reach, closest match first. The letter on the right is each plugin's health grade (A best, F worst).
-
Smart Custom 404 Error Page 100K+ installs · 4.9★ · 2 shared tags A -
WP 404 Auto Redirect to Similar Post 30K+ installs · 4.8★ · 2 shared tags B -
Link Juice Keeper 10K+ installs · 4.3★ · 2 shared tags A - H HeadSpace2 SEO 3K+ installs · 4.0★ · 2 shared tags D
-
Yoast SEO – Advanced SEO with real-time guidance and built-in AI 10M+ installs · 4.8★ · 1 shared tag A -
LiteSpeed Cache 7M+ installs · 4.8★ · 1 shared tag B
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for Custom 404 Error Page into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/custom-404-error-page" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="Custom 404 Error Page — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> Custom 404 Error Page: 1K+ active installs, 4.1★ (9 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-11-01. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/custom-404-error-page
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