5 Things Your 404 Page Needs: Turning Error Into Opportunity
What is a 404 error page? It is a page that is displayed when you encounter a broken link on a website, a deleted page, or even a misspelling. Squarespace creates a generic 404 error page for you, but you can create a custom one and you totally should! ✨
Running into a generic 404 error page can be totally frustrating. 🤬Not only are you not seeing the content you were looking for, but most of them don’t give you any options to try something else!
In this blog post, you’ll learn about the 5 things your 404 Error Page SHOULD have and 3 things it can definitely do without.
🖼️ Branding
Your website visitors need to know there are on the right website, even if it’s not the page they are looking for. You can incorporate your brand colors, logo, and tagline on your 404 Error Page, but you can also consider adding some imagery like a picture of you! Let them know they are in the right place by showing some imagery they will recognize.
🙌 Highlight Your Good Stuff
Frustration starts to set in when visitors land on your 404 Error Page; what they wanted can’t be found, and they need to know where to go next! Along with your main navigation, you can add additional links to popular content on your site for them to explore, like a blog posts or product pages.
📣 Call-to-action
Your 404 Error Page doesn't have to be a dead-end. You can add a call-to-action (CTA) that encourages visitors to take some action. It could be as simple as asking visitors to sign up for your newsletter or follow you on social media. A clear CTA helps to keep your visitors engaged and look forward to more communication from you.
😆 Humor
A touch of humor is always appreciated, especially in frustrating situations like landing on a 404 Error Page. Adding a touch of humor can humanize your brand and make visitors more forgiving. However, be careful with the humor you use. You don't want to offend anyone or confuse your visitors! Sometimes an emoji is worth a thousand words, but a picture of a maze or confused-looking cat 🐱could be a good idea as long as it aligns with your business vibe.
🔎 Search Bar
The search bar is an excellent feature to add to your 404 Error Page. It provides your visitors with the option to search for what they were originally looking for.
Many businesses ignore their 404 Error Page, but it is a valuable opportunity to impress and engage your visitors. By incorporating some of the ideas above, you can turn your error page into an opportunity to make a great impression. Be sure to avoid irrelevant content, technical jargon, and any design elements that may not align with your brand. Make sure your 404 Error Page delivers an excellent user experience and stands out because of its value.
How to create a custom 404 page in Squarespace
Create this page in the not linked section of your Squarespace site.
When you’re ready for it to be used as your error page, navigate to Design and select 404 page
Here you can pick your custom 404 page from the dropdown list
That’s it! You now have a custom page that will be so much more helpful than a generic one. 😎
