Correct Mistaken URLS

Do your users ever make mistakes when they type in your URL? Well the majority of us know that they do. Your users are browsing your site at blazing speeds looking for something and once in a while a page will be misspelled.

An Apache module I found recently helps the user go to the correct page even if it is misspelled. The module is called mod_speling. It is very easy to use in that all you need is the module installed, and then somewhere in an .htaccess file you turn it on by using CheckSpelling On

It disregards the case, as well as allows up to one misspelling. If it determines that a page has one match it automatically redirects to that one. On the other hand if the page has a few matches it lists them for the user and then they can select the right one.

This is a great usability feature and prevents the user from always seeing the hated 404 error page. Some users when they see this immediately hit the back button and a potential sale is lost. Helping the user as much as possible is always a positive thing for your website.

Related posts:

1. Search Engine Friendly URLS
2. Web Usability
3. Usability: A forgotten aspect of Web Design?

Written by Brenley Dueck