Why Make a Custom 404 page?
A 404 error is more commonly known as a page not found error, this occurs when a browser can find the website in question but not the page within the site. Here is an example of a default 404 page, its not helpful or attractive and would you really want a lost visitor on your site to see this?
There are no links to get back on your site, it looks uninviting and as if you don’t care if a user is lost on your site. Most potential customers will simply look elsewhere rather than try and find a way onto your site. It is also likely that a few visitors will encounter this error while visiting your site, be it due to their mistake, yours or a third party and for some it could be the first page they ever see on your site. So why not use this to your advantage by creating your own page to help guide them back in the right direction and also make look as if it is part of your site.
What can help make a 404 page useful?
A well designed 404 page will not only benefit the visitor but you as well. So here are a few things that I think can help make a great 404 page:
Its all about the links
Remember the whole point of creating your own 404 page is to get lost visitors back on the right path, they won’t be able to do this without links back onto your site. So a link back to the homepage is a must and one to the sitemap if you have one. Another good option if it is possible isto place a way to search your site on the page, this way your visitors can search for what they were looking for without having to going to a different page first.
Be forgiving, it might not be their fault
There are many reasons why someone lands on a 404 page, it could be they were given the wrong address, you deleted the page or they mistyped it. So don’t blame them or make them feel guilty for being on the page, remember they could be your next customer, so get them back on the right track without implying that it is their fault.
Design to your site design
Its easy to forget with these pages are part of your site and to design something very random, but keeping the design similar to your site’s design is important. If the design looks different to your site’s design this could confuse users and make them think they have left your site rather than it being and error with the site. So even though it is fine to be creative with this page, try and keep design elements to make it easily recognisable as part of your site.
Keep the tone of your site
Much like the design, try and keep the tone of your error page the same as your site. By all means have fun with the page, just remember the target audience of the site.
Remove calls-to-action that don’t make sense
If you are using a template from your site to create your 404, remember to remove all the parts that make no sense to the page, for example links to social bookmark the page, rating systems or a comment section.
404…404…404?
Unless your site is geared towards those that will know what the error code means, you will need to explain what has happened and why they are on this page. Simply stating that it is a 404 page will mean nothing to most that land on this page.
Sell something
If you have an E-commerce site, why not try selling some of your products through this page, as it could be an excellent marketing strategy as well as getting the potential customer back on the right tack. If you decide to do this remember that they got to this page by accident, so you still need to tell them the page they were looking for isn’t there, rather than confusing them with items they probably didn’t search for.
Finally…Keep it simple
It is easy to get carried away, become too helpful, or write too much witty dialogue, so don’t overwhelm a user with too many options or an essay of an explanation. Keep it simple and get to the point so the user can get back to what they came to your site to do.
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