Improve your 404 pages with Google
 

Google Webmaster Tools has a very interesting widget to improve the usefulness of your 404 pages with little or no effort. It brings something like ?Did you mean?? for your URLs, suggests links like pages in a higher hierarchy, and adds a Google Search form.

http://devthought.com/tumble/2009/04...s-with-google/

I don't trust google much so I only use Google Webmaster Tools on very few sites and maybe none soon :2 cents:

Does it tie to an adsense account as those hits aren't free :)
WG

There are many many ways to monetize 404 pages.

Although a nice gesture on Google's part, I have way better ways to make my 404 pages.

True, it's just one of many options. An interesting idea is to create a 'protected page' 404 where the surfer has to fillout a lead sheet or survey form to get 'dead' or archived content that used to be on the page. Just thinking out loud.

better to skip it

I've got a custom 404 page built into my CMS that searches my database of content for matching content that goes with the page they came to that is now 404, also gives links to my front page, special areas, a search bar, and other stuff.