Tips For Creating a 404 Page: Best Practices & Examples

A 404 error page appears if you click on a broken link. Its purpose is to bring the visitor back to the website and improve the user experience if something went wrong.

See our top tips on keeping visitors on the website, even if the page they are trying to access doesn't exist.

Explain What's Happening

Tell visitors what may have caused the error. No need to make a list of possible reasons, the key here is to explain that the website is working and can still be useful.

Make Visitors Smile

Try to cheer users up with humor. Add funny images, videos, or animations with a witty phrase but make sure that the meaning remains clear and visitors understand that this is an error page.

Keep Visitors On the Website

Include a link to the Home Page or menu so that visitors can find the right page and won't leave. You can also add a quick link to the most useful sections.

Maintain Visual Style

The 404 page should fit your brand's image and blend in with all the other pages. It can be simple and funny while still matching the overall style in its message, typography, and selected images.

Prevent an Error

The best way to keep visitors away from the 404 error page is to regularly check your website for broken links. If you check for missing blog posts, videos, and images once a month, your users will be less likely to end up on a 404 page.

On Tilda, you can check a website or page for broken links by using the new Tilda Broken Link Checker.