By Volusion
Poorly constructed or default 404 pages create a high risk that those visitors will back out to explore a competitor’s site. Learn how custom 404 pages can keep your visitors engaged and guide them to the their appropriate destination.
A 404 error page is the page that visitor sees when they try to go to a URL that doesn’t exist or has been moved without being redirected. This can be pretty frustrating, especially when the default 404 page offers you no explanation or way to get back into the site you were just browsing.
Frustrated visitors, unable to find a path to their desired page, will often back out of the site entirely and go to a competitor’s. A custom 404 error page allows you to keep visitors on your site rather than just bouncing to another. Below are just a few of our favorite (and most effective) custom 404 error pages.
C.E. Holt Refrigeration’s 404 error page does a great job of minimizing confusion by letting you know that the page you were trying to access is missing with a big, bold heading. They keep customers in their store by offering links to their main departments.
Wolf Pack Martial Arts Gear reinforces their “tough-guy” attitude with an image of a guy getting knocked out and giving you an obvious path to return to the homepage to keep shopping.
South Georgia Outdoors uses a bit of hunting humor to reinforce their branding. They let you know that you have “missed the mark” if the page you were looking for no longer exists. They also offer links to some of their more popular categories to get you back to shopping.
You really can’t go wrong with a picture of a cute kitten. Paws Express takes advantage of their audiences’ probable weakness for cute, fluffy animals doing human things and pairs that with a simple message that gives you a path back to the homepage to reset your shopping experience.
No sense in crying over spilled soda according to Kavanaugh Restaurant Supply. Their 404 page gives you clear paths to some helpful pages including the Homepage, Gallery and Services pages.
As you can see, an effective 404 page minimizes confusion to your customers, keeps them on your website so they can continue shopping and reinforces your branding. If you are interested in having our design craft a similar custom page for your own store, check out our design services page to get in touch with a professional consultant.
Happy selling!
– Jamie Aucoin, Design Services Team Lead
Visit Volusion’s Ecommerce Authority blog for everything you need to cultivate a successful online business. Visit www.Volusion.com to experience the world’s best ecommerce software solution for online businesses.
