The error 404 page is one of the most infuriating pages on the internet. Visits to this page rarely come from visitors using internal site navigation. A lot of error 404 page visits come from prospects following a search engine link that is either broken, erroneous, or has been changed. 

Regardless of the cause, it’s a dead end that usually has customers instantly pressing the back button. Too many broken links also lower your search rankings.

It doesn’t need to be so. The error 404 page can still be used to salvage conversions by redirecting customers to other pages on your site. A message like, “Sorry, the page you tried to access does not seem to exist” just doesn’t cut it from a conversion standpoint. By giving such prospects no options, you’re practically chasing them away. Design that page to funnel people who land on it somewhere else.

Use visuals

Don’t just have a plain white page with black text. Incorporate your brand colors to make the error 404 page more lively. For example, Amazon’ page has a puppy. You can add any image that shows the essence of your brand.

Provide redirects

If a visitor ends up on an error page after a mistyped URL, you should redirect them to your homepage. If they try to access a product page that is no longer accessible, you should redirect them to the new product page. If the product is no longer available, you can redirect to the category pages of related products.

Examples

HP

Kingdom Playgrounds