There has been a lot of discussion going on whether UX or User eXperience is a crucial part of SEO or Search Engine Optimization.
If we consider the definition behind these two terms (Wiki):
User eXperience design, most often abbreviated UX, but sometimes UE, is a term used to describe the overarching experience a person has as a result of their interactions with a particular product or service, it's delivery, and related artifacts, according to their design.
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is the process of improving the volume and quality of traffic to a web site from search engines via "natural" ("organic" or "algorithmic") search results.
So after the definitions why would one consider User Experience even part of SEO? Lets consider a simple example here about 404 Pages!
404 Pages have been the nemesis of internet users and are probably one of the most overlooked aspects of a website. Personally, it is annoying arriving at a website and being served a page stating, "Page not Found". So the User eXperience is awful and for any SEO a 404 page is a nightmare, since a typical 404 error page has a high likelihood of driving your visitors away. Well the good news is that there is a solution that will improve the user experience and will ensure that your visitors stay on your site. A custom 404 page can do that trick.
Alternatives - Visitors are obviously looking for something on your website before they stumbled upon an error. Give alternatives on the custom 404 page.
I am sure you can figure out alternatives for your website.
There is absolutely no reason to label your page "404 Error". The only thing the users know about a 404 error is nothing nor do they care. Its a technical jargon, and don't use it to scare away your visitors.
Google is intelligent and so are other web crawlers - A missing page (404 error) is obviously going to get your page rankings down.
Some Interesting and creative collection of Error 404 Pages!
Tagging Nicky - Thanks for suggesting the topic!
