The 404 page (the one that appears when someone tries to reach a URL that does not exist on your website) is probably the least thought-about page on any site, precisely because nobody arrives there on purpose. And yet it gets visited more often than most businesses realise: broken links from other websites, typos when typing an address, discontinued products that still have live links somewhere. Every one of those visits is an opportunity, almost always wasted, to keep that person inside your website instead of losing them.
Why the server's default 404 page is such a bad idea
Without any customisation, a server shows a generic error page, with no brand element, no navigation menu, no way to keep exploring your website. To the visitor, that screen communicates something close to "this is broken and nobody is looking after it," an impression that can taint trust in the rest of the site, even if everything else works perfectly. Customising this page with your brand's design is one of the cheapest and most overlooked interventions on a website.
What a good 404 page should include
A well-designed error page keeps the same navigation menu as the rest of the site, explains in plain, non-technical language that the page requested does not exist, and above all offers clear paths forward: a link to the homepage, a visible search bar, perhaps links to the most popular sections or products. The goal is not just to report the error, it is to turn that moment of disorientation into a new opportunity for the person to find what they were looking for through another route.
Tone matters, but do not overdo the humour
It is common to see 404 pages with jokes or playful illustrations, and it works well for certain brands whose usual tone is already lighthearted. The risk is forcing humour onto a brand whose tone the rest of the time is serious or professional (an accounting firm, a clinic), where a joke out of place can feel more like a lack of coherence than a charming touch. The safest rule is for the error page's tone to match the rest of your brand's tone, neither colder nor funnier.
500 and server errors: another page almost nobody designs
Beyond the 404 error (page not found), there are server errors (error 500 and similar) that occur when something fails technically, not because the page does not exist but because there is a temporary problem. These errors also deserve a page with some design and a clear message ("We're having a technical issue, we're already working on it"), instead of the cryptic default message that can cause unnecessary alarm, especially if it happens right when the customer was about to complete a purchase.
How to detect and fix broken links before a customer finds them
Beyond designing a good error page, prevention remains the best strategy: periodically checking your website's internal links (free and low-cost tools do this automatically) and fixing or redirecting the ones that no longer work reduces how many people even reach the 404 page in the first place. A broken link caught and fixed in time beats the best error page in the world, because it stops the problem at the source.
Redirects: the silent solution for moved or removed content
When a page changes address or is intentionally removed (say, after a website reorganisation or a product being discontinued), setting up a redirect to the most relevant page prevents that link, which may have been working and bringing in traffic from Google or other websites for a long time, from simply ending up on a 404 page. It is one of the least glamorous and most cost-effective website maintenance tasks there is.
Measuring how much your 404 page is used (and what to learn from it)
Checking analytics for how often the 404 page is visited and, above all, from which specific URLs people are landing on it, reveals very useful patterns: one particular broken link that keeps recurring, an ad campaign pointing to an old URL, or frequent typos in a specific address that might deserve a permanent redirect. This normally ignored page can become a valuable source of information about problems on your website that would otherwise go unnoticed.
The 404 page on mobile: the same problem, with less room to solve it
On small screens, it becomes even more important to prioritise what is shown on the error page: the essential message, a clear button back to the homepage, and perhaps a search bar, without overloading the screen with too many options that on mobile translate into extra scrolling. The fewer decisions the user has to make at that moment of disorientation, the more likely they are to keep browsing instead of leaving outright.
Broken external links: a problem you do not fully control but can mitigate
Some of the traffic reaching your 404 page does not come from internal mistakes, but from links on other websites pointing to a URL that no longer exists on your site. Although you cannot directly control those external links, periodically checking which websites link to your domain (using link analysis tools) lets you, for the most relevant cases, reach out and ask them to update the link to the correct URL, recovering traffic that would otherwise be lost on an error page.
Distinguishing between "never existed" and "no longer available"
A URL that never existed (a typo, a badly built link) is not the same as one that existed but was intentionally removed (a discontinued product, an expired offer). In the second case, a specific message ("This product is no longer available, but you might be interested in...") provides more context and a better chance of retaining the visitor than the generic error message reserved for the first case.
Logging the source of every 404 error to prioritise fixes
Beyond knowing how many times the error page is visited, logging the exact URL each visit came from allows prioritising what to fix first: a broken internal link generating dozens of 404 visits a week deserves immediate attention, while a one-off, isolated error can take a back seat. This data-based prioritisation avoids spending time fixing marginal errors while the genuinely relevant problem goes unresolved.
The error page as a reflection of the brand at a moment of vulnerability
The moment a user hits an error is, by definition, a moment of friction in their experience with your brand. How the website behaves at that specific instant (how clearly it communicates, what options it offers to keep going) says as much about the care put into the business as any carefully designed page, precisely because it is a moment where user expectations are lower, and positively surprising them has a disproportionate effect on overall perception.
Using the 404 page as a last-resort conversion opportunity, in moderation
Some businesses include a one-off offer or discount on their 404 page as a way to turn a negative moment into a sales opportunity. Used moderately, without feeling opportunistic, it can work well; used aggressively, it can feel like exploiting the visitor's frustration, creating the opposite effect to the one intended.
Frequently asked questions
How much traffic does a typical website's 404 page usually get?
It varies a lot depending on the site's size and age, but it is not unusual for it to account for between 1% and 5% of total traffic on websites with a long history, old external links, or product catalogues that change frequently.
Do I need to hire a designer to customise my 404 page?
Not necessarily. Keeping the same menu, header and footer as the rest of the site, plus a clear message and a search bar or links to popular sections, already covers most of the benefit, with no need for an elaborate design.
Should I include a search bar on my 404 page?
Yes, as long as your website has a functional internal search feature. It is one of the most direct ways to help someone who arrived looking for something specific find it through another route, instead of leaving them with no tool to continue.
How do I find out which internal links on my website are broken?
Free and low-cost tools exist that automatically crawl your entire website and report any link pointing to a nonexistent page, with no need to check it manually page by page.
Do redirects affect SEO rankings?
A properly configured redirect (the so-called 301, permanent redirect) preserves most of the original URL's SEO value and passes it on to the new one, which is why it is the recommended practice over simply letting the link end up on a 404 error.
Should I use humour on my error page if my brand is a serious one?
It is neither mandatory nor advisable to force it. It is better to keep a clear tone consistent with the rest of your brand, even a serious one, rather than introducing humour that can feel out of place and undercut seriousness at an inopportune moment.
Should I show different content on the 404 page depending on the device?
The main message can stay the same, but it is worth simplifying the options shown on mobile, prioritising the essentials (clear message, button to the homepage) over displaying every possible option that might fit on a desktop screen.
Can I do anything about broken external links pointing to my website?
You can identify them with link analysis tools and, for the cases with the most potential traffic, contact the linking site directly and ask them to update the URL, recovering visits that would otherwise end up on an error page.
How do I prioritise which broken links to fix first if I have several detected?
By prioritising based on the volume of visits each one generates to the 404 page, using analytics tools that show the exact URL each visit came from. Links with more associated traffic deserve immediate attention.
Does it really matter that much to take care of a page nobody is supposed to see?
Yes, precisely because it is a moment of friction where user expectations are low. A well-crafted response at that specific moment has a disproportionately positive effect on overall brand perception.
Is it a good idea to include an offer on the 404 page to try to convert that visit?
It can work if done moderately and without feeling opportunistic. Used aggressively, it can feel like exploiting the visitor's frustration, creating the opposite effect to the one intended.