Running into a 404 error is one of the most common errors users run into. So spending time on it is a great way to convert people. There are many great examples to study from. A great place to start is to make a funny joke about it that relates to the theme of your content. Or you could draw inspiration from Amazon and take a totally unique approach and do the “dogs of Amazon”. Which showcases how dog-friendly the work environment is. Or go for Canva’s example, and give the user a quick puzzle game to play that reveals a photo designed in Canva that shows off what the site can do. All of these approaches have one thing in common, they are a break from the seriousness of the site. 404 pages are a route to have a little fun with your site’s content. So take the opportunity and have a little fun with it!
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I like the idea of offering a little game or puzzle as a distraction to your users. It may help relieve some of their frustration and could absolutely show up in an external blog showcasing creative 404 pages.
Such an interesting idea to make a page that no one likes, into something that can be fun and entertaining. This is a great idea and has a lot of potential.
I like how you talked about how when creating a 404 page, you should try to communicate the culture of your work and your mission while also being funny (like Amazon does). I love little “easter eggs” like fun 404 pages (I remember that Google had a dinosaur game that would pop up if the page didn’t load). Good job!
I completely agree that a creative and fun 404 page can be a great way to engage users and leave a positive impression on them, even when they run into a frustrating error. It’s important to remember that even though 404 errors can be frustrating for users, they also provide a unique opportunity to showcase your brand’s personality and creativity.
This is very clever! It is interesting to see how people have made something as simple as an error page into an opportunity for content.
Interesting! I like how even an error page can be used to create conversions, drive traffic, and get sales.
Whether a 404 page is fun or not, you definitely should have a custom one. Otherwise, it’s easy for users to think that something is wrong with your entire website and never come back. Of course, if you can make the error page funny, that’s an added bonus since usually it’s pretty frustrating to run across 404 pages.
These are all great examples of fun 404 Error pages. It’s not something I would have thought of before taking this class, but 404 Error pages can provide great value to your site.
Yes I agree, I love having fun with 404 pages, it is something I have never really gotten into until now and it is something I wish I would have done sooner. Well said.