Spice Up Your 404 Error Page With Humor and Creativity
Error 404 pages are like those annoying neighbours that just keep showing up when you are out to play. They are annoying but since we can’t really do anything about them, we will just have to deal with it. But that doesn’t mean we can’t make it fun and exciting.
While we can’t help you with those annoying neighbours, we sure can help with some ideas to make 404 error pages less annoying.
404 error page is something no website owner or user wants to encounter. But it’s unavoidable especially if you have your business on the web. No matter how you try to keep your website running smooth, errors pop up anytime and error 404 is one of them.
404 error pages can be a bit of a turnoff especially to website visitors, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t make it a bit more appealing. At least styling it with a fun and humorous look will lessen the frustration and annoyance your visitors may feel when they come across the error 404 pages.
Below, we have made a list of unique examples of quirky, fun 404 error pages that you can implement to give your visitors a good laugh if they come across a 404 error on your website.
Why Spend Time In Creating A 404 Error Page?
Building an error 404 page may be the last thing on your mind. You might even ask what do you need a 404 error page for when your site is never going down? Yes, creating a custom error 404 page will take up some of your time and require some technicalities to set up. But, and that is a big but, you will find it is to your own advantage.
Let us take a look at some benefits.
Leave Your Website Visitors A Smile
Your website visitor comes to your website, encounters a bland 404 error page, they leave your site annoyed and disappointed.
But what if you turn that annoyance into a smile?
Yes, you can give your users a good laugh with a well-designed custom error 404 message. And you know something else that happens when you do this, you leave the visitor with memories of your website and increase the chances of them coming back to your site.
Keep Visitors Coming Back
The normal 404 error page is boring and annoying. And when you give your website visitors a combination of these two, you may as well tell them to hit the back button and never come back again.
But like I said earlier, everyone likes fun. There’s no way to stay memorable and keep your website visitor with a fun and unique 404 error page.
Don’t lose a potential customer because of something as small (and annoying) as a boring 404 error page. You can even include the link to your homepage or product page on the error 404 page, that way you never lose them.
Showcase Your Brand Creativity
Show off your creativity to your website visitor, show them what you can do with a blank canvas. Yes, 404 error pages are annoying, but that doesn’t mean you can’t make yours kick-ass.
Word of advice here, while you are trying to show off your creative side, be careful and try to keep it in moderation. You don’t want the page to be overcrowded or overwhelming visitors, as this will create the opposite of the effect you are trying to create.
These are three major reasons you should spice up your error page.
Now, let us show ideas you can use to create stunning, fun 404 error page designs.
Some Fun 404 Error Pages You Cannot Miss
Spotify
Topping our list of some of the most creative and fun 404 error pages is the Spotify 404 error page. For their error 404 page, Spotify uses a simple animation of a record player, giving it a cool visual and design element. The animated record spins for a bit and stops with a scratch sound as a way of telling you that everything isn’t working fine.
GitHub
Are you a Star Wars fan? Check out the GitHub 404 error page. I know it says “This is not the web page you are looking for” but in this case I think it may be just the page that you need to get a creative idea for your error 404 page. What do you think? Worth checking out right?
IMDb
IMDb has a quote for you. In fact, they have a quote for everyone that lands on their error 404 page. It may look like a simple setup, but we can’t argue about the creativity of it all, especially with the quotes that appear on the screen. What can I say? I am out of quotes, lol.
Slack
For Slack, their error 404 page is a colorful interactive page that moves in the direction you move your mouse from right to left and vice versa. This gives the error page a gamified style that makes you want to stay on the page longer and just enjoy the engaging experience that it offers.
NASA
NASA didn’t disappoint with their 404 error page. Here, you can clearly see the universe far, far away. The design fits clearly with the agency’s brand of space and everything cosmic. They even added a fun, witty line to add humor to the page.
Amazon
Meet the dogs of Amazon when you land on the Amazon error 404 page. Amazon knows just the way to soothe the annoyance of landing on a 404 error page, and they have prepared some of the cutest dogs waiting for you. No one can be annoyed with these cute dogs. Tell me aren’t they just adorable.
Pixar
Pixar did a good job bringing in their creativity into their error 404 page. Yes, I know it looks simple, but it also captures the emotion of the user that lands on the error page. For this error page, Pixar uses Panic from the Inside Out animation (creative, isn’t it).
To Conclude
404 error pages can enhance your business website significantly so you have to give it some thought when you are creating them to ensure instead of driving away your website traffic, it brings you.
However, while you bring in your creative side into the game to spice up the page, do it appropriately and try not to go overboard with your ideas to avoid causing more harm. It is best you bring in professional help for help.
For that, you can contact us at WinWithWeb Technologies for creative design ideas.
