Contributed modules are a fantastic resource for Drupal site owners.  Learning how to install and configure basic modules is an essential skills for managing your website.

This tutorial uses the Search 404 module as an example of how to add extra functionality to your site and increase conversion rates.

After installation, if a visitor comes to your site through a URL that does not exist, Drupal will turn the URL into a search, giving the user the most relevent result on your site instead of a blank 404 page.

Step 1: Download the module.

Head  to the Search 404 project page and grab the appropriate module for your version of Drupal.

Step 2: Copy the Module to the correct folder

Open the file and extract the module folder, called "Search404". Copy that folder into /sites/all/modules.

Step 3: Enable the module

Back on your site, navigate to the Administration Section, then to the Modules Section, under "Site Building" (admin/build/modules/list).

From here you can easily see which modules you have installed and which are enabled. Scroll down to the Search 404 module under the section "Other" and tick the box.

After you hit Save, Drupal will prompt you to install any modules that are required in order for your chosen module to work, in this case: Search.

Step 4: Configure the Module

If the module needs configuring, the relevent pages are usually found under: admin/by-module.