404 Error Pages: UX best practices

Published on the 2 janvier 2013

Uh oh, sorry but the page you are looking for cannot be found… Should a 404 error page stop with these very basic words? Nowadays 404 pages have become a creative challenge for websites, and some, like Gog.com or Blizzard.com, have really put some work to create unique and original pages. (There is also Videotron‘s unicorn… The simplest is to check benchmarks like 404notfound.fr.) But creativity is not the core objective of these pages, is it? When you look at the context, 404 pages appear when the user hastried to access a page that does not exist. It could be a mistake in the URL or a broken link on your website. This makes the 404 page’s main objective to redirect the user to relevant content, and avoid him closing the website and leaving forever. Here are a few ideas to improve 404 pages and go over the dead-end they once represented.

1. Avoid 404 errors as much as possible

The first good practice is to avoid 404 errors as much as possible. You can do that by controlling broken links on your site and using 301 redirects. Google Analytics can also help by tracking errors. There are quite a lot of websites talking more and better about this topic. Please check abetterux.com and antezeta.com (how to track 404 errors as events in Google Analytics) for further information.

2. Customize the page with consistent elements from your website and brand

The white-background page with Times New Roman error message is not enough any longer. In order to reasure the user, and help him understand on which website he has landed (he is still on your domain, not lost in space), the 404 error page should still feature the website’s logo, main navigation and footer. Just like a Search results page for example. This also allows the user to navigate in the sections from the 404 page,very simply.

3. Say you’re sorry

Error is human, we all get it. Though, accusing the user of typing a wrong URL or having made mistakes is definitely not a good idea. Like every time an error occurs, the system should be the one assuming the mistakes. Afterall, it could as well be an error on the website, when for example URLs have changed. Better keep polite.

4. Offer navigation alternatives: avoid the dead-end

The main menu should be displayed on this 404 page, but you should also provide the user with navigation alternatives. The best is to offer links to pages relevant to the user at this moment. In order to do this, you can use the URL he has typed in. For example, provide links to other (most popular or recent) pages in the sames section, or links to pages with similar keywords as the ones typed in the URL. Featuring a link to the Home page is also a good idea. And a search field should be central in the 404 page, allowing the user to look further.