diff --git a/public/convert/index.html b/public/convert/index.html
index 0b155f3..3f251d8 100644
--- a/public/convert/index.html
+++ b/public/convert/index.html
@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@
   <style>
   body {
     font-family: sans-serif;
-    max-width: 900px;
+    max-width: 800px;
     margin: 30px;
   }
   img {
@@ -53,14 +53,13 @@ let username = document.querySelector('#username').value;
 let out = document.querySelector('#out');
 fetch(`/api/convert/?feed=${feed}&username=${username}`)
   .then(function(response) {
-    if (response.status !== 200) {
-      out.innerHTML = `<p>Error: ${JSON.stringify(response.statusText)}</p>`;
-      return {};
-    }
     return response.json();
   })
   .then(function(myJson) {
-    console.log((myJson));
+    if (myJson.err) {
+      out.innerHTML = `<p>Error: ${myJson.err}</p>`;
+      return {};
+    }
     // a feed exists in the database
     if (myJson.content) {
       // was it a match on feed
diff --git a/routes/api.js b/routes/api.js
index 448321c..09a2e5a 100644
--- a/routes/api.js
+++ b/routes/api.js
@@ -29,6 +29,9 @@ router.get('/convert', function (req, res) {
     let parser = new Parser();
     parser.parseURL(feed, function(err, feedData) {
       if (err) {
+        if (err.message === 'Status code 400') {
+          err.message = `That doesn't look like a valid RSS feed. Check <a href="${feed}">the URL you provided</a> in a feed validator. You can <a href="https://validator.w3.org/feed/check.cgi?url=${feed}" target="_blank">click here</a> to pop up a test immediately.`
+        }
         res.status(400).json({err: err.message});
       }
       else {