What makes a good 404 error page?
This entry was posted on October 10, 2007
Wikipedia defines a 404 error message as “an HTTP standard response code indicating that the client was able to communicate with the server but either the server could not find what was requested, or it was configured not to fulfill the request and not reveal the reason why. 404 errors should not be confused with “server not found” or similar errors, in which a connection to the destination server cannot be made at all.”
As people who create websites we think to ourselves “oh darn it! It’s broken!” whereas visitors to our site will think “eh?”.
I’ve spent a lot of time recently thinking about 404 error pages after I worked on my own error page. What makes a good 404 page? Is a good 404 page helpful? Is it amusing? Is it pretty to look at?
I think it’s important to look at this question from a user’s point of view. When I come across 404 pages on websites, it frustrates me. I want to know what the webmaster is going to do to help me get to their content that I was actually looking for. I want to know if there’s anything I did wrong that could have caused this scary error to happen, but most importantly, I want to know where the content is!
Useful 404 pages help their visitors, explain what went wrong and why they’ve reached the error page, as well as offer suggestions on how to get to the page they were looking for.
Some of my favourite 404 pages share the visitor’s pain , discuss the error over coffee, feel extremely guilty,
If you’re in a good mood you could appreciate humour in a 404 page, learn how to make cocktails, or let the webmaster grovel.
My “Top Ten Top Tips” for a good 404 error page:
- Don’t make your visitors feel guilty about reaching the error page.
- Don’t plaster your page with “404!”. Average Joe visiting your site won’t know (or care) what this means.
- Try to help out your visitors.
- Provide a link to the sitemap.
- If your site has a search facility, include this on your 404 page.
- Be humble. It’s possible the 404 error is your fault. Don’t be afraid to admit this.
- Be concise and don’t waffle.
- Don’t bombard your visitor with a list of options.
- Say something more than “404 - page not found”.
- Offer an explanation of what has happened and why.
What do you look for in a good 404 error page? What does your own 404 error page look like (if you have one)? Which site’s 404 pages have made you say “ooh” and “aah”?
11 lovely people have commented
Ha ha, that coffee one is great.
Now you mention it though an informative 404 page would be helpful to a lot of visitors.
I enjoy humerous error pages that provide several solutions.
I’m… not really bothered about them. I never read ‘em anyway and just hit the ‘back’ button.
Haha, those were great! I love the CSSvault one.
One thing I like about a 404 page (which I’ve been too busy/lazy — no, really, busy — to implement, oh woe) is a contact form integrated right into it — not a lot of visitors like to go through the trouble of emails, and a form makes referal tracking that much easier (even if you have it built into the page anyway).
Most of the ones you linked are great. I personally prefer humorous ones, otherwise I just click the back button on my browser.
I’ve never come across a 404 page where I actually contact the site owner, though…
My aim is to make people who try to enter inexisting pages feel guilty…
But ok, I’ll take in the suggestions and change my 404 in a month. 
I used to have a very generic page. 404, not found. Check the archives or contact me if you found broken link or something like that. I never made a 404 page when I moved servers, and I don’t think I ever will because I’m soo lazy. The page people get when they encounter a 404 in my page is very unfriendly though. http://silencios.org/lol
Great advice! 
And those 404 pages you found are great. My 404 page is really brief and gets to the point.
You’ve inspired me..must make new error page…must make new error page…
I’ve done something similiar with http://www.bmtg.org.uk/error404.php
However, you’ve prompted me to re-visit it. I’ll drop the 404 malarky, stop referring to a bottom menu that no longer exists and also direct to a sitemap.
What I also do with mine - and as you’re currently working with MySQL - is to look up the name (without the main URL) in a MySQL table. If it’s there you get diverted to a page that’s specified in the table. So, if you go to http://www.bmtg.org.uk/annie it will divert you to annie.php instead.
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Kiera said:
My error page really needs to be revamped. It contains the default one that came with the theme, and I while I got around to editing the theme, I’ve haven’t touched 404 page. I’ll get started on it soon, like, today.
Right now my 404 page basically says “You don’t belong here, check the archives”.
I think it’s rude.