May 26, 2015: A 404 error page is a landing page on a website that lets a user know that they have visited a broken or defunct link. Webmasters frequently choose to customize their 4o4 pages to avoid losing users that would normally just click the “back” button on their browser once they hit a dead end. If your website host supports a way to customize your 404 file (some free hosting sites don’t), adding a custom page that will help redirect users is a great idea that doesn’t take too much time to make.
The most creative 404s we’ve seen combine design, information meant to help the user, and a little bit of wit. Why should you have a custom 404 error page? First and foremost, because (unless you have no broken links at all) it’s a nice thing to do for your users. Furthermore, if you’re creative, you can do a little creative branding in this underutilized “error space.”
Check out our Slideshare gallery featuring some of our favorite 404 pages.
Summary
Article Name
The Art of the 404 Error Page
Description
Why should you have a custom 404 error page? View this gallery of inventive and well designed pages for users that reach a lost URL.
Author
Aaron Kupferberg
