Using your 404 Page

If you’ve some time on the internet, you may have seen silly, blank or just stupid 404 error pages. This is not about these types of 404's; this is about creating a 404 page that will be helpful to your users and solve issues problems you have not been aware of.

In your webserver, a 404 is an invisible resultcode sent to the user computer or search engine. It tells them the page they were looking for isn’t there, without giving more details. And of course there are lots of reasons why they could run into a 404, like when a page is moved, or maybe someone has made a mistake when creating a link.  Some people will know what a “404 error” is but others won’t, so it is recommend to inform both. Tell them it’s a "404 error" and include information telling them what happened and that the page they were trying to get to isn’t there. But that's only the beginning. Wouldn't you agree its nice to be told the way when you are lost?

If you leave a customer at a 404-dead end, they will leave. So give them a bit of info to pull them back on track. You will have a better chance of keeping them on the website. Every website is different but here are some ideas of what you could do with your 404 page:

• General service related info
• Contact information
• Popular content
• Popular products
• Links for technical support
• Search page
• Sitemap