If you’re browsing a website, looking for a certain piece of information, article or other type or media, only to be confronted by a message telling you that it’s either gone or that you’ve typed in the wrong URL, you might wonder what it means. Known as 404 Error pages, they simply tell you that you’ve gone to the wrong page.
The message itself is useful, but some website owners have done a little work on trying to improve their pages by treating them as a space to either showcase their creativity, let out their fun side or, in an increasing number of cases, do a little good. As there’s so much space to work with, it makes sense to do something different with them.
The anatomy of an error page
In recent years, some sites have spruced up their 404 pages to make them a little easier on the eye. Some pages have been made to be more helpful to the visitor, providing them with a link back to the homepage or with a search query to help them find what they want to see. Others contain fun stuff such as cartoons, memes or a funny message in place of the usual 404 text.
Alternatively, 404 pages could be used to communicate an important message. A recent example involved the use of 404 pages to alert people about a missing teenager in the UK, showing that, if handled right, these pages can be used to do something good, too.
