5 Minute Guide to Creating a 404 Report in NetSuite

A Quick Guide to Customizing NetSuite Reports

The 404 Report

One feature lacking in most hosted analytics systems like Google analytics is a 404 report – i.e. a list of URLs that a user or search engine tried to access, but the page was not available. If you have a NetSuite Site Builder site (now call SuiteCommerce Site Builder), NetSuite provides a built-in report that you can customize just for this purpose.

What Good is a 404 Report?

So why should you look at a 404 report, and what should you do about the URLs in that list?

• By creating redirects or reusing a not found URL, any external links that are pointing to it will still be counted. Links that go to a 404 page do nothing for your PageRank or organic rankings.
• It will help point you to errors in your code, like typos or old HTML links that need to be updated.
• Web visitors are turned off by errors like a not found page, and by minimizing these, you improve the experience for your users & build trust.
• Every website is always under construction, and changes are rolled out frequently… regular monitoring of the 404 report makes sure that you aren’t accidentally sending users to a nonexistent page.

Steps to Building a 404 Report in NetSuite

1. In the top navigation, go to Reports > Web Presence > Page Hits, then customize.
2. This takes you to the main report builder screen – enter a name, like 404 report
3. Click on filters at the top, then add ‘Name’ under the ‘All Items’ folder to the list of filters. Under Value, choose ‘Starts with’, then enter 404 in the text box, as below:

   

4. Click Save, which also runs the report. Change the date range to the last year or so. You should see a list of URLs like this:
5. Optionally, you can schedule it by clicking the ‘schedule’ button on the bottom right. It opens a screen like this:
   I recommend having the report emailed to yourself once a month – the more of these types of tasks you can automate, the easier it is to stay on top o a lot of things without having to remember anything.

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David Norris

Owner at Fourth Wave Consulting

I have been working with computers and web sites for 20+ years, and have enjoyed mastering many areas of technology. I have been building websites for about 15 years, and working with NetSuite for more than 10. I have worked with dozens of small and medium-sized companies in that time, helping them to understand and leverage the latest tools to grow their business. My business is all about helping you to maximize your business, and I prefer to establish long-term relationships with clients who are dedicated to embracing smart ways to optimize and expand their business.

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