An efficient website is much more than just being about design, layout and a strong site structure. While it is very important to create an attractive design and write clean HTML codes for the website, it is also very important to pay attention to little details.
Another feature of a successful website is its ability to provide rich user experience to its visitors. For this, it needs to be ensured that website visitors have a seamless browsing experience and if at all they have any concerns, they are instantly resolved. One of the best ways to ensure this is by designing helpful and user-friendly 404 error pages.
A 404 error page is a HTTP standard response that shows on the screen when the browser communicates with the server to discover that the requested web page is not available. It can be an unintended error caused by the server or the users themselves.
What Prompts 404 Error Messages?
Spelling mistakes are the most common reason why 404 error pages pop up on the screen. Many a times it happens that users type in the URL of a website with good speed and end up misspelling the words of the same. When the server doesn't recognize the address of the requested page, it quite unintelligently responds back with a 404 error page informing the failure of request.
Spelling mistakes can turn a perfectly valid URL into a dead link altogether and there is nothing much you can do about it until and unless the user realizes the fallacy. However, what you can do is to design efficient and user-friendly error pages that help users trace their way back to your website and find what they are looking for.
How to create Custom Error Pages?
Creating custom error messages for your website means that you wouldn't have to be at the mercy of default messages prompted by the server. This means instead of letting the hosting or the server take the liberty of communicating with your visitors, you can actually decide what appears on the error page. But do make sure that what you decide to present on screen is better and more helpful than the default provisions.
Here are some tips to design customized user-friendly error pages.
Keep the language simple
The language that you use on the error pages should be simple and easy to understand and devoid of complicated technical jargons. Your audiences also comprise of non-technical users. So make sure they are able to understand the message well and act accordingly.
Tell them what is wrong
Your message needs to inform the users what exactly went wrong and why the error message has been displayed. It could be that the server doesn't have the requested page or the connection is not secured well.
Offer suggestions
After you have told them what the problem is, offer them suggestions to deal with the same. Tell them what they can do like they can re-check the spellings in the URL or they can go back to the homepage and so on.
Avoid being rude
Respect your visitors and don't make them feel they are idiots who have performed a wrong action. Blatant messages might work for games websites for teenagers but when you are talking about an online shopping portal, it is very important to keep visitors pleased.
Don't redirect to the homepage
Some websites redirect visitors to their homepage if they type in a faulty URL without even displaying an error message. This makes users think that the website is defective because they don't know they are typing in a wrong URL.
Provide search features
The Search feature enable users to find exactly what they are looking for and helps them a great deal. Also if you include provisions like 'Did you mean...' it goes a great deal in correcting unintended misspellings. Also the website becomes more friendlier and helpful!
Another feature of a successful website is its ability to provide rich user experience to its visitors. For this, it needs to be ensured that website visitors have a seamless browsing experience and if at all they have any concerns, they are instantly resolved. One of the best ways to ensure this is by designing helpful and user-friendly 404 error pages.
A 404 error page is a HTTP standard response that shows on the screen when the browser communicates with the server to discover that the requested web page is not available. It can be an unintended error caused by the server or the users themselves.
What Prompts 404 Error Messages?
Spelling mistakes are the most common reason why 404 error pages pop up on the screen. Many a times it happens that users type in the URL of a website with good speed and end up misspelling the words of the same. When the server doesn't recognize the address of the requested page, it quite unintelligently responds back with a 404 error page informing the failure of request.
Spelling mistakes can turn a perfectly valid URL into a dead link altogether and there is nothing much you can do about it until and unless the user realizes the fallacy. However, what you can do is to design efficient and user-friendly error pages that help users trace their way back to your website and find what they are looking for.
How to create Custom Error Pages?
Creating custom error messages for your website means that you wouldn't have to be at the mercy of default messages prompted by the server. This means instead of letting the hosting or the server take the liberty of communicating with your visitors, you can actually decide what appears on the error page. But do make sure that what you decide to present on screen is better and more helpful than the default provisions.
Here are some tips to design customized user-friendly error pages.
Keep the language simple
The language that you use on the error pages should be simple and easy to understand and devoid of complicated technical jargons. Your audiences also comprise of non-technical users. So make sure they are able to understand the message well and act accordingly.
Tell them what is wrong
Your message needs to inform the users what exactly went wrong and why the error message has been displayed. It could be that the server doesn't have the requested page or the connection is not secured well.
Offer suggestions
After you have told them what the problem is, offer them suggestions to deal with the same. Tell them what they can do like they can re-check the spellings in the URL or they can go back to the homepage and so on.
Avoid being rude
Respect your visitors and don't make them feel they are idiots who have performed a wrong action. Blatant messages might work for games websites for teenagers but when you are talking about an online shopping portal, it is very important to keep visitors pleased.
Don't redirect to the homepage
Some websites redirect visitors to their homepage if they type in a faulty URL without even displaying an error message. This makes users think that the website is defective because they don't know they are typing in a wrong URL.
Provide search features
The Search feature enable users to find exactly what they are looking for and helps them a great deal. Also if you include provisions like 'Did you mean...' it goes a great deal in correcting unintended misspellings. Also the website becomes more friendlier and helpful!
