Have you ever thought about using your 404 error page to escalate your conversions and improve your revenue?
We know it seems a bizarre task,
But, a little effort on designing and optimizing the 404 pages will bring you plenty of customers.
While designing a website, creating a 404 page might not be on your priority list. But, the best 404 page will automatically convey your brand identity and also keep visitors interested. No one would want their customers to see a 404 page at all, but if such a situation arises, you can turn this situation into your advantage. All you have to do is add a bit of humour and wit, and there you’ll have the best 404 page ever. These error pages will turn out as an ambassador for your brand.
A tailor-made 404 page uses brilliant UX and outstanding design to alleviate the feeling of finding yourself in the wrong place. Sometimes, this 404 page may become the most memorable and shareable ones. Nowadays, people have started including 404 pages into their SEO strategy for reaching their present and potential customers.
The best ways to brighten up your 404 error page is – A well-thought-out CSS animation, a smooth scrolling effect and a sharp copy to go with.
Here, we bring you a list of our favourite 404 error pages. All of them worked like a wonder and were a hit among people. These 404 error pages can inspire you to think out of the box.
What Is a 404 Error Page?
A 404 error page is a landing page that conveys to your website audience that either the requested page is unavailable or just doesn’t exist.
When a page is not accessible to users, they’ll not be able to find the information they are looking for. Apart from that, it will also notify Google that your website provides a poor customer experience. This particular thing will have a negative impact on your incoming traffic, rankings and your website’s pageviews.
Generally, users would never come across a 404 error page. But, once in a while, they will have to face this problem. No matter how well-maintained your website is, sometimes it also wishes to take a day off.
The major reasons behind a 404 error page are:
- The page has moved to another URL, but redirection was not done properly.
- The server might be down.
- The page never existed in the website or might have been deleted.
- The URL might have broken over time.
- There might have been a mistake in typing the URL.
Best 404 Page Ever
1. Steve Madden
Steve Madden’s 404 page is one of the most unique pages. The major reason behind that is the options it offers to the lost users. The addition of a search box to the page works wonders as it lets the users know that they are being listened.
One of the best parts of this 404 page is their way of distracting visitors from this inconvenience. They have added certain links to other popular products that will keep the user busy and entertained.
To ensure that you have the best 404 page ever,
- Have a navigation menu.
- Add a link that directs to the homepage.
- Don’t forget to have a search bar.
- Add links to your popular products.
- Add links of your popular posts.
2. Lego
The 404 page of Lego stays true to its brand. The most attractive and fun thing about this page is the characters. Apart from that, the page is very easy to read and understand. They have tried their best to avoid using any kind of jargons or any reference to “404 error”
Your visitors need to know that they didn’t land on the desired page and are stuck on an error page. But your users will hardly care why they are on this page, all they are looking for is a solution.
The best way to make them understand is to avoid using technical language and opt for human language. It is more relatable and easy to understand.
Some examples you can opt for :
“Sorry, Page not found.”
“Oops! Something is broken.”
3. Marvel
We all have high expectations from Marvel, and they do meet them. Marvel has various versions of 404 pages. They have several characters which make it easy to provide a brand new 404 page every single time. Marvel uses various characters like Captain America, Black widow, Deadpool, etc.
4. Disney
Disney never fails to impress us – be it their cartoon shows or this 404 page. “Donald Duck” who is known to lose his temper quickly is placed perfectly on this page. If a user is on the website and is shown this error, they might get frustrated. But this visual will definitely make them smile a little.
This character perfectly goes with this page. Another thing that you must notice is a little search bar. There is also another bar at the top of the page. But, the one at the centre will be used by visitors to find what they are looking for.
5. Email Center UK
Email Center Uk has a quirky 404 page style that withdraws the blame from visitors. It brings a moment of joy between the irritation of 404 page errors. Remember, don’t ever try to blame your visitor. Rather, apologize to them.
If you wish to explain the problem to your visitors, avoid using bossy language. You must use words like “might have” or “possibly.” It will ensure your visitor that the entire error is not their fault.
6. 9gag
The sole purpose of 9gag’s 404 pages is to motivate visitors to download their app. You can have a look at the “Pulp Fiction” Travolta GIF used here. It adds a fun and quirky element to this page.
The more options you give, the more visitors will get confused. Always remember, simplicity is the key. You must always choose one call-to-action or a maximum of two. Don’t leave your visitors analyzing too much, and give them limited and good options.
7. Everipedia
Everipedia’s 404 page is the best 404 page ever as it consists of everything that visitors anticipate from an online encyclopedia. Just looking at the page reminds visitors of their love for this website.
You can use your 404 page as a reminder to your visitors. Why do they love your website? How are you different from your competitors? What is your USP (Unique Value Proposition)?
8. Sprout Social
Sprout Social is a social media marketing platform that works towards keeping its customers on-page.
They start off well in a humorous manner when a visitor lands on a wrong or error page. Post this, they also provide a free demo, whereas the home page link goes backwards.
They have a chatbot that appears to find out what visitors need. At last, they have also added their newsletter. Sprout Social is one of the best 404 pages ever as they have transformed their 404 error page into a landing page.
9. Omelet
Sometimes, a simple juggling of words may get you further than what you’ve thought of. The 404 page of Omelet is an example of creativity par excellence. The page has a line that says, ‘this page is eggstinct.’ After that, you will see an animated egg crack all over your screen.
The colour of the page is red, which is thought to be a warning sign. Most importantly, the egg theme fits perfectly in the name – “Omelet.” This 404 page is a perfect combination of information and amazing creativity.
10. Mantra Labs
This 404 page is the best example of simplicity and effectiveness. Mantra Labs has tried to put the figure of a person in space. The person is floating in air within 404 and the text says, ‘Oops! You ran out of oxygen’.
They have added a timer on the page that counts down the time of redirecting you back to the homepage. If there are more of such creative 404 pages, people would really like to visit these pages on purpose.
11. Heyzap
One of the best 404 pages ever – Heyzap.
Is there anyone who wouldn’t love to play games?
Taking that into consideration, Heyzap has added an amazing interactive component to their 404 pages. This element will make sure that the visitors are entertained and engaged for a while. There might be chances of visitors getting involved in the game and forgetting the frustration of the error page.
There is no need to develop a game, all you need to do is add an interactive element to your error page. This element will help in reducing the bounce rate and increasing the time on-page.
12. Cloud Sigma
We don’t think people would mind working with such cute junior web developers. Cloud Sigma is one of the best 404 pages ever due to its use of such captivating image and text. Talking about Cloud Sigma, it is a cloud server and cloud hosting service that functions in the US, Europe, and the Asia Pacific Region.
Generally, flexible cloud servers are useful, but they’re not much fun. Here, the company has worked a little harder to add some humour into its normal 404 pages. Well, It would be really tough to get a competitor against this hard-working web developer.
13. Carwow
Carwow is a website that deals with cars. It gives a comparison of various cars and helps you find the one that suits you best. But, when you come across a 404 page, you’ll be provided with a brilliant on-theme way to keep you on the website.
When visitors look at the screen, they’ll have an 8-bit game style screen. The visitors have to hit the start text to enjoy a simple scrolling game. It is a great way to engage audiences on your site and lessen your bounce rate.
14. Path
The company’s 404 page is the definition of simplicity and effortlessness. They are not looking forward to having broken links and missing pages. So, they are providing visitors with the option of contacting Path support to report it.
If you closely look into the page, you’ll realize that there is a navigation footer in the page. The reason behind including it is to provide visitors to browse around the page rather than just reporting the problem. It will help visitors in relieving their frustration.
15. Kualo
Kualo, a web hosting company has been in the business for more than a decade. Talking about its 404 page, this is one of the best 404 page ever. It entertains the visitors with a game of Kualo-themed Space Invaders.
Landing on a 404 page is the most annoying thing for a user. It negatively affects the user experience on a web page. To improve the user experience, the team of Kualo is always dedicated to creating an interactive game on 404 pages.
16. Huda Beauty
We have seen several illustrations on 404 pages, but this one seems to be the best 404 page ever. The page has a custom illustration of its founder, which is much better than just an illustration.
No matter which page you look upon, Huda Beauty stands out in every manner. Even the 404 page seems so stylish that people would get stuck to it. The 404 page provides access to search along with a shopping bag in the upper right corner. With this, visitors can be redirected to the page they are looking for.
17. IMDb
IMDb very clearly shows a movie quote on their 404 page. They are not doing much, still whatever they’re doing is impactful. As you see there are no movie posters or trailers to get the attention of visitors.
The branding style is quite definite here. IMDb just puts up a movie quote and links to the homepage of the website. Last but not least, they also provide the link of the quoted movie.
Before creating your 404 page, don’t ever forget to maintain brand familiarity.
18. Kodi
Do you get frustrated looking at a broken link? We too feel the same. People working at Kodi completely understand your situation.
Talking further about Kodi, it is open-source software that provides millions of people with Tv. If you look at the page design, the frustrated emoji perfectly catches the emotions you feel when something doesn’t go in your favour.
19. Bitly
Another best 404 page ever is none other than Bitly. This page has a picture of women sitting in a yoga posture. Bitly understands how frustrating it is to land on a 404 page.
They try to keep engaging you in several activities by offering advice about case-sensitive links. Apart from that, they also help visitors by redirecting them back to the homepage.
Conclusion
No matter how much you maintain your site, but there will always be a 404 page waiting for you. So, make sure you put as much effort possible to make your 404 page fun and entertaining. It takes time to design a creative 404 page, but if you’ve done it right, your hard work will pay off.
These were the best 404 pages ever to inspire you and your organization to work on this dimension. It will surely help you retain your customers and also improve your bounce rate.
We hope this blog on the best 404 pages ever will help your company to improve your conversions. If you have any queries or suggestions, please feel free to write in the comments.
