Category: 
January 28, 2009
Like any other page on your website, your 404 error page should work in favor of you and your goals. Like your homepage, a 404 error page should have a linking structure that is easy to understand. Also, like any other page on your site, consider what the end-user would be looking for and then put that content on your page. . .and as always, make sure your 404 error page is visually appealing. The only thing that is worse than an error page is an ugly error page. Here’s a list of things to consider when creating your own 404 error page:
1. Links to homepage and other possibly related links. A simplified version of your site navigation can help the user get away from the 404 error page, but stay on your site (the ultimate goal).
2. “It’s not your fault” Attitude. Let the visitor know that they are not to blame for the error that brought about the 404 error page. The best attitude to portray would be one that is apologetic, while at the same time, quickly working towards a solution. Many 404 error pages have a humorous spin to them, which is perfectly fine. Just make sure that the humor is appropriate for your audience and matches the rest of your website.
3. Suggestions as to what may have gone wrong. A list of popular errors may help the visitor figure out on his/her own what happened. Simple errors can be a mistyped URL, slight variations in the URL (use to capital letters and special characters) or a recent site re-launch.
4. Use the same look and feel as the rest of your website. This way, the user at least knows that they are on the right site. This goes a long way to helping a visitor feel like their efforts aren’t going completely down the toilet. This piece of advice also includes making sure that your logo is always somewhere on the 404 error page.
5. Give them a way to contact you directly via email. This email address is for two groups of people that are guaranteed to visit your site: the people that like to be extra helpful and the people that like to point out when someone else has made a mistake. Make an email address available so they can contact you and let you know that they have come across an error that needs attention.
6. A simplified version of your site search. Better yet, a pre-populated searched based on the page they tried to reach. This way, they can see a list of pages on your site that do exist and maybe it’s what they were looking for. In this case everyone’s happy. Just be sure to keep the error page as simplifies and confusion-free as possible.
If you would like to see some examples of what we’re talking about, check out this medium-sized list of great examples of custom 404 error pages.
Horaayy..there are 4 comment(s) for me so far ;)
[...] The best way to fix a mistake is first own up to it and then try to correct it in the least painful way. That’s the concept behind custom 404 error pages. Custom 404 pages show up when something has gone wrong and make an attempt to remedy the situation. Different sites, however, design their pages to do slightly different things. Some may be just to inform, others may be purely entertainment, and still others may do a combination of the two. Here’s a list of some of the coolest 404 error pages on the web, categorized by primary function. If you’re looking for some ideas for your own 404 error page, take a look at these. You don’t have to worry about bad examples though because to make this list, your site needed to follow our rules for an effective custom 404 error page. [...]
[...] Within her article, she also suggests another resource that gives you some great suggestions on how to fix up your 404 errors. [...]
[...] sites and therefore do not generate too many 404 errors. 3. Your custom 404 error page follows 404 error page Best Practices, and is very good at keeping visitors on the website. If your website does not meet these criteria, [...]
Your guidelines help to me develop my own idea for error page 404