Making great 404 pages

What is a 404 page?

The web site hosting server will typically generate a “404 Not Found” web page when a user attempts to follow a broken or dead link; hence the 404 error is one of the most recognizable errors users can find on the web

The 404 Page Not Found Page is often one of the most overlooked pages on a website. Why? Because most people assume that nobody will see it. But if your site has been around on the Internet long enough, there will eventually be a dead link. Even the best of us miss one occasionally. That’s why your 404 page is so important. You need a page that will tell your visitor that the content they were looking for isn’t there, but what’s more, you need that page to be a useful resource to help guide that visitor into your desired action.

Every page on your site should have a desired action. What’s a desired action? It’s what you want your visitor to do. So often I asked clients “What do you want your user to do?” and their answer will be, “look at my services.” Looking at your services is great, but what we’re looking for here is a measurable action such as calling or submitting the contact form. You want them to contact you. You want them to get in touch. You want them to opt-in, fill out your form, or do whatever it is that will turn them from a visitor into a customer.

The 404 page CAN BE a lead generating page… if you take the time to set it up.

Most 404 pages look just like the rest of the site, but with a generic message about the page being not found.

So, technically, it’s doing it’s job. It sends the message that the page isn’t found. But what if you could make that page really shine? Yes, include a basic not found message. But then take it a few steps further.

You could…

• suggest a few other pages that they might be looking for
• list a few of the most popular pages on your site
• include a button that tells them to contact you if they can’t find what they are looking for
• apologize for that missing content
• list your phone number telling them to call so you can help them
• add a search box so they can search for the page they want
• encourage them to look at your sitemap (do you have a sitemap? If not, add one) to find what they are looking for
• share a joke about the missing page

In short, give them ways to find the content they thought they were going to find and make them like you in the process. Attention do detail is a good indicator of the quality of your work. Otherwise, they will just hit back and wind up at whatever brought them to your page in the first place.

Use your 404 page to help visitors find what they are looking for, so those visitors can turn into customers.