You know the experience. You're online, zipping along. You click a link or enter a url... and then it happens.
404: Page Not Found
Your expectation was content. Your reality is a dead end.
Even though this is a pain every internet user knows, it's something we rarely focus on when thinking about our own websites.
That's too bad, because a good 404 page can take your visitors from a place of feeling like this:
To feeling like this:
Let's bend the laws of physics together!
Today's Mission
Review your company's 404 page. The easiest way to do this is to type in your site's domain name followed by some gibberish -- yoursite.com/asdf, for example.
When you're there, review these 3 key elements. How do yours stack up?
The Heading:
A good heading uses your brand voice to convey something has gone wrong while showing empathy for the visitor's struggle.
It's not cold and it doesn't use language that's only understood by developers and robots.
Next Steps:
A good 404 page offers next steps for a visitor to take to find the content they're looking for or something similar.
This often includes well-organized links to popular pages (or even a full sitemap if a site doesn't have many pages), links to commonly sought resources, and a search bar.
In offering these things, we're taking a metaphorical brick wall and turning it into a room full of doors. You're communicating to your visitor that they're not alone --
you're here to help.
Additional Content That Delights:
Like every other page on your website, your 404 page is an opportunity to communicate with your customer.
A good 404 page uses supplemental content -- copy and images -- to delight a visitor.
One of the examples I cite is this image of a sad yeti...
I don't know why I love it so much, but I know that if I see it on a 404 page, it takes the sting out just a little bit.
How can you take the sting out of your 404 page for your visitors? What can you do to clearly communicate, offer next steps, and delight in the process?
Wrapping Up
Just like you'd consider the journey and intent of a visitor to a sales page, you can tailor the 404 experience to what you know about them in this moment (They're looking for something and they didn't find it), how they're feeling (confused or frustrated), and how you'd like them to feel (reassured and
delighted).
When you update your 404 page -- or if you've already got a great one -- send it my way and I just might feature it on ExperienceInvestigators.com.
PS - This may be your final challenge, but improving Customer Experience is a never-ending mission. I want to hear from you: What will you do with your new CX focus? Let’s talk about how to keep your momentum going.
PPS - Don't see a time that works for you on my schedule? Hit Reply and let me know when's good for you.
