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Imagine this scenario for a second. You're walking through Barnes & Noble. You've just picked up a hot cup of coffee and now you're ready to browse. You start checking out the new fiction best-sellers and move through the magazine section. Finished there, you head towards the business section picking one of a dozen routes. Just then...BAM!... you're standing on the sidewalk. You think to yourself, "What the...?"
This same situation plays itself out every single day when millions of people reach error pages on the web. This typically happens when a user mis-types a link or the link is mislabeled by the site. Those errors typically look like this:
First, you need to find out how you're currently handling the problem. Go to your site and type in your URL and then add a "/75;yu" (that's a totally random keystroke). If you see the error message above, you have a little work to do. The fix should be simple for your IT people to make and the page itself is just a single web page.
There are opportunities here for marketers who are smart enough to realize it. Here is how a couple of sites handle these errors.
| Technorati: Here is a basic approach. Technorati gives you an error message, but adds links to quickly find whatever you typed just in case you were guessing. |  | | Google: Shame on Google for such a poor error page. The company could easily take you to a search result page similar to Technorati. |  | | Greenpeace: Greenpeace takes advantage of the situation and uses it to educate the user on its mission. Click the image for a larger view. |  | | Marvel Comics: Marvel uses a touch of Homer Simpson-esque humor. |  | | Craigslist: The Craigslist error page is as simple as the site. Very basic, but in line with their voice. |  |
| The Motley Fool: The Motley Fool has a great little page. A Haiku for the error message with a search embedded on the page to get you back on track. |  |
| Bloglines: David Berkowitz sent me this one from Bloglines. Nice little bit of humor. |  |
So, when your customers make a wrong turn, are you going to help them out or kick them to the curb? Do you have an example of a page you like? Let me know in the comments!
[Links: A List Apart has a great article on the perfect 404 page]
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Comments
Matt - GREAT way to describe it by bringing into the real world.
Any idea how to customize these messages in a blogging platform such as, say, Typepad? :)
Posted by: Cam Beck | 11.16.07
Your point is very well taken, but I have to say: I hate the Bloglines page. I think it crosses a line into being too cutesy.
I think the Greenpeace page is particularly good at presenting useful information for the user in a fun way, and offers some next steps. The Bloglines page is just a big "oops" that offers nothing more than a default 404 page.
Posted by: John Whiteside | 11.16.07
I had never thought about using error pages as a marketing tool (shame on me!)...thus, I find this to be so valuable.
And clever.
Thanks for the screenshots ;-).
Posted by: CK | 11.16.07
Cam -- I'm looking into the 404 page on Typepad. I think that because it is hosted it may be a problem. Will let you know.
John -- There definitely is a line between clever and cutesy as you mentioned. It's all about knowing the audience. I like the Greenpeace one as well, very on-brand and useful.
CK -- Glad you liked this. There are a lot of little techie tricks like this which I'll unveil in the future.
Posted by: Matt Dickman | 11.16.07
404 pages helps search engine bots keeps his index clean. When you delete or move your page to the new location, your server must answer 404 when anybody requests the "deleted" path, this way crawler knows that old path is deleted. Or you can set redirect 303 - permanently moved page. PR of this page moves too ;)
Posted by: Vallens | 11.16.07
Excellent analogy of how jarring it is to come across a 404 error. I think we often forget the importance have having an "seamless experience" while visiting a web site. Yet, I was very impressed how creative sites have turned these error messages into a way to advance their brand or present a message. Very effective!
Posted by: Anjuan | 11.17.07
Great post, Matt.
Posted by: Ann Handley | 11.17.07
Like your bio link?
Posted by: Kathrin | 11.18.07
Error pages are an opportunity. Great thought!
We need to do this stat!
Posted by: Neil Anuskiewicz | 11.20.07