The Changing Web We Weave: Evolution of The 404 Page

It’s probably one of the first things you saw when you started surfing the web: an error 404. If your ill-fated surfing session was recent, you may not have even seen a “404” just an ordinary page kindly informing you that you either mis-typed the URL or the page has moved. If your first 404 was more than a few years ago, you probably got slapped with the 404 error of old: “404 Not Found,” or something similar.

But now it’s 2010, and with users of every conceivable comfort level browsing the web, it’s crucial to use a 404 page that keeps as much traffic flowing through your site as possible. However, some webmasters go overboard and create a 404 Mecca that displays their entire website on one 404 page. Instead, let’s try to find a happy medium between too much info and not enough.

Har Har

Many webmasters take the opportunity to have a little fun with their 404 pages. The web is littered with quirky 404 pages of every design and description. Whether it’s a good idea to play around with your users is really up to you. Do you think the vast majority of them are advanced enough to get the joke? Or will your cheeky message send them screaming in the other (virtual) direction and away from your website?

Serve up the Hits

If you’ve got the ability, perhaps the best thing you can do with your 404 page is list the most popular pages on your site at the present time. Odds are that the vast majority of people visiting your website are there for the same reason. Even if someone isn’t visiting for one of your popular pages, they’ll more than likely be able to use one of them as a springboard to reach their intended destination.

Seek and Y' Shall Find

Another worthwhile 404 page element is a search box, and these days, many sites automatically run a query based on the entered URL. They check for common misspellings, case differences and more. If you’ve got the time and inclination to customize your site in this way, it’s a good bet your visitor will easily be able to find what they’re looking for. If not, a standard search box is a must.

To Map or Not to Map

Many webmasters wonder whether to include a sitemap on the 404 page or to simply include a link to the Sitemap. Now it’s time to use some common sense. If you’ve got a site with over 50 pages or so, it’s probably not worth including the sitemap on the 404 page. However, providing a link to it will allow those who are determined to find out what the heck you did with their favorite page with a way to do so, even if they must dig through hundreds of pages to find it.

Me? Tell You About a Broken Link?

One quick note about asking for user input to report broken links. Those days are over, ladies and gentlemen. That went out with Netscape Communicator. There are myriad ways of recording this info without any intervention on the user’s behalf, and the data you get will usually be more valuable in the bargain.

Recently, 404 pages have become character meters of the web. It’s pretty easy to tell the personality of a company by what they do with their 404 page. So as a webmaster, you might as well continue the trend by creating a 404 page that embodies your organization’s desired image. It could be satiric. It could be oozing with overly polite customer service language. It all depends on your target market and just how much fun you want to have creating a 404 page in 2010.

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