Picture if you will, a terrifying scene from a movie. The tension builds as the fear inside you grows and shifts, until—to your horror—you see… a 404 error page—one of the most dreaded things on the web! You’re doomed!
…Or are you? Before you get too scared, remember you can turn your 404 page into something your visitor will never forget (but, in a good way). Here are some unique ideas that will ensure your user doesn’t give up on your website!
Amazon
Name an animal more adorable than “man’s best friend”. You can’t do it, can you?! It’s a good thing Amazon’s 404 page, “Meet the Dogs of Amazon” exists then. It’s a simple idea that gets tons of engagement by allowing users to click on an image that re-routes them back to the home page, or to refresh the error page to meet other adorable dogs.
Medium
Medium is an amazing portal designed to help you find news that matters to you. Their error page is clean, with only essential user-engagement tools, including a search bar, and a few blogs about being lost.
Lego
Lego’s website takes a slightly different approach, with two separate (yet fully interactive) 404 pages each functioning differently, depending on where you encounter them. The kid’s page has a small interactive area using the main image, plus it lets you navigate back to the website, as well as to the featured product links. The store page offers a more complete navbar, a button link to shopping pages, and additional links on the footer.
9gag
This popular comedy site didn’t miss the opportunity to fancy-up its 404 page, directing the user to their app with a little humour thrown in for good measure.
Slack
With a cute error page, Slack offers the user a myriad of options for continuing to navigate their website, also making it easier for the user to go to their own workspace or download the app.
Pixar
No need to cry if you get lost on Pixar’s website, they offer an easy-to-use navbar that helps you find your way back to their fun, colourful home page in no time.
Fox Movies
Another great idea is to add social media buttons to your 404 page so your users can easily find you on all your social platforms (plus, you may just get to have some fun with Edward ScissorHands in the process!).
Marvel
Oh no, the world is under attack by Hydra!
Marvel helps users find an escape route via a search bar or by way of the navbar buttons, while at the same time spreading the word about their brand and having a little fun while they’re at it!
Disney
Disney’s 404 has an adorable short animation featuring a search bar to help the user find what they’re looking for. Using a little cuteness to get the job done never hurt anyone!
Star Wars
If the force is not with you, and you get lost on the Star Wars website, don’t worry—you can still fulfill your destiny through a complete navbar menu, search bar, and social media icons!
After sharing these 404 error page examples with you, we hope you’re no longer scared of the deep, dark corners of the web. But, if you’re still feeling a little unsure, our team of specialists at Flinnwest Solutions are here to help save the day—just don’t forget to look behind you (the killer is always behind you)! Let us show you how we can help your business today!
