Don’t Cry Over Spilled Links: 404 Day 2019

For companies and consumers alike, the 404 page is infamously known as the most annoying page to land on during an internet browsing session. But for digital experience nerds like us, April 4th (4/04) is a day where we can admire the quirky and creative ways modern brands have turned the 404 page into an engaging part of their digital presence.

Wait, what’s 404 again?

In nerd terms, the 404 error message is a Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) standard response code that indicates the client was able to cooperate with a given server, but the server could not locate what was requested.

For the non-tech savvy people in the crowd, these pages act as a guardrail to catch site visitors who mistype a URL or click on a broken link/old bookmark from bouncing off the site. According to a study by Springtax, about 74% of site visitors who stumble across a 404 error page will leave the site without returning. But if done properly, 404 error pages can guide site visitors in the right direction before the visitor takes their search back to Google.

The best way to prevent visitors from landing on a 404 page in the first place is to regularly check the site for broken links. Ideally, this internal site audit happens once a month and specifically looks for missing blogs, videos, photos and more. Second best is making the most of a broken link or missing URL scenario by crafting a unique landing page. If your site doesn’t already have a custom 404 page, it’s not too late! There are many tools and agencies (wink, wink) that can do this for you. But before you seek help, we put together a checklist to help you build a proper 404 page—plus draw inspiration from a few of our favorites.

Five tips for creating a not-cringe-y 404 page:

1. Explain how/why visitors got to your 404 page
2. Include a search bar to allow visitors to try again
3. Recommend how visitors can fix the issue (e.g., check their spelling, tune their search query, etc.)
4. Link back to your home page
5. Come up with a creative way to engage users so they don’t immediately bounce off your website

Five 404 pages worth checking out:

Spotify

If you stumble across the Spotify 404 page, you’ll instantly find yourself drawn to its clean design. The page stays within their style guide even though the expected green is replaced by millennial pink; meanwhile, the animation on the record player provides a point of interest and engagement. And of course, Spotify remains completely on brand by dropping in a subtle Kanye reference to his 2008 album 808s & Heartbreak. 

PS – We wrote a little something about Spotify marketing opportunities

Chipotle

Since Chipotle is our life here at Pyxl, we thought it was fitting to see what they had to offer on their 404 page. And in true Chipotle fashion, they did not disappoint. Apart from the mouth-watering burrito starring as the 404’s zero, we loved the creativity and cleverness in placing a picture of a burrito right above a CTA that reads “Feeling Hungry.”

Pitchfork

Pitchfork is our guide to all things music, whether it’s new releases, tour dates, or artist news. While their 404 page keeps things simple with a basic CTA leading back to the homepage, we loved the tongue-in-cheek touch they added by inserting a randomly generated hand-picked gif that plays every time you enter the site.

Dribbble

Pointed out by one of our wonderful designers, Dribbble has one of the most captivating 404 pages we’ve encountered on the web. The page itself is fun and colorful but also acts as a large, interactive, visually appealing CTA in order to keep the designers on the page (talk about knowing their target audience!).

Medium

Our favorite thing about the Medium 404 page is the set of slyly humorous CTAs at the bottom of the page that hints at “feeling lost.” Additionally, keeping the search bar as the main focal point is an engaging and concise way to recapture user attention.

Whether 404 pages have you stressed or whether they’re the least of your digital worries, Pyxl’s deep experience with fully custom websites can help you out. Get in touch with us or explore our other content today.

Updated: Jun 02, 2023