Prompts to Make Your 404 Error Page Convert Better
We all think of 404 pages as quick, accidental little “whoops! You landed in the wrong spot!” pages.
These pages are often called error pages because, obviously, they signify there’s been an error in the journey of going from one page to your intended page.
And sure, this does mean something went wrong – either they typed a URL incorrectly, or you’ve got a broken link – but an error page isn’t necessarily a deal breaker.
An error page is a huge opportunity to reconnect with your people and then redirect them.
Sometimes, we get general advice for our 404 pages to be “on brand” at the very minimum. That’s not bad advice – but it’s incomplete.
If you can view your 404 page as prime real estate to delight, excite, and then redirect your audience, you can ensure that your people are less likely to dip out when the 404 error page strikes.
Not sure where to start? I’m sharing my top fave prompts to help you refine and refresh your error page so it can convert better. (And at the very least, won’t send people running and screaming the other direction if they’re misdirected by an error).
P.S., if you’re looking for prompts to help improve your website or marketing hot spots (lookin’ at you, social media), I’ve got a few other blogs you should take a peek at:
Prompts to Improve Your About Page
Prompts to Improve Your IG Bio
LIL KEY TAKEAWAYS: THIS BLOG AT A GLANCE
Your 404 page is a second chance to keep people on your site (and pointed in the right direction).
You need personality and purpose (AKA: clear redirects).
Don’t make people work harder after something already went wrong — give them obvious, easy next steps right there on the page.
A little delight goes a long way, but clarity is what actually keeps people from bouncing.
The best 404 pages do three things, fast: feel like you, guide the user, and move them somewhere that matters.
The Typical 404 Page: Problems to Consider
The usual journey for a 404 page is someone lands on it, then bounces away – in fact, almost 74% of users will leave a site within seconds of hitting a 404 page.
Which makes sense for our busy brains with constantly whittling attention spans. We love instant gratification – if I click on a service page, I expect to see that service page ASAP (ideally within 2 seconds, but who’s counting?). If I’m automatically redirected to a 404 page, I’m immediately less interested.
I’m also a lot less compelled to go looking for the page I was after in the first place.
The key to keeping someone on an error page before they dip out is to delight and excite them – but it’s more than that, too.
You need to pique their interest and give them the helpful guidance needed to get them where they intended to go in the first place.
I’ll show you exactly how you can workshop your own 404 error page, but first, here are a few of the most common issues I see with brands’ 404 error pages.
The Big 404 Error Page Problems
Completely forget that it exists and leave it utterly blank: This is the cardinal sin in 404 error page copy. I don’t blame anyone who does this because it’s very rarely top of mind. I always include this in my website copywriting service because it’s an important part of your website, overall, but also, I don’t want you to have to realize months later that your 404 error page is blank, unhelpful, and unbranded.
Branded copy but…that’s it: It’s great to have your sticky brand voice leading the charge on this page – you should make sure the words you write here match your brand’s personality. But if you’re only bringing pizzazz to the party and not actually providing them with what they’re looking for (redirects!), you’re not doing them or yourself any favors.
Only redirects, but very sterile: Sure, you give your people links to the core four (home, contact, services, about) directly on the redirect, but you’re just plugging in copy/paste copy. If you’re not giving the words on this page a touch of your personal zing (AKA, your sticky brand voice), then you’re presenting mismatched info. And ultimately, that shoots up a red flag for your audience and sprinkles in a touch of distrust. People like brands that sound and feel so consistent they never have to stop and think “Wait..that was weird…”
Long blocks of text with no “normal” web page best practices: I’ve seen brands share a ton of info on their 404 error page because they recognize that it’s a useful spot to share info. (It makes sense, people are going to end up there, might as well give them solid info while they are. They’ll add “About Us” info,
The perfect combination is to ensure that you’re tackling these three specific areas on your error page without loading your audience down with unnecessary content:
It delights, excites, and piques interest
All the words on this page align with your sticky brand voice
It actually redirects them to important areas on your site
3 Tips to Make Your 404 Page Convert Better
Redirect Your People to Specific Areas
One of the biggest mistakes I see brands make with their 404 error page is excluding helpful links that can get their audience back on the right track.
A common misconception is that someone will hit a 404 error page, realize there’s been an issue, and then head to the site’s header, menu, or footer to find their path back. But this isn’t always the case.
People get a lot more frustrated by a broken process than you might think. That doesn’t mean mistakes can’t happen, but it does mean that you should make their experience on your site as seamless and simple as possible.
It’s a lot like my arguments with calls to action or buttons on your website.Why make someone scroll and go searching for instructions on what to do next?
The same goes for a 404 error page. A bad thing happened, but you can still make their experience seamless by providing redirects right there on the page. (So they don’t have to go looking for them).
So, how do you know what links or redirects to share with them?
Consider your audience and try to look through their POV.
Think of the spots on your site you really want them to visit – and consider the context of their journey, too.
Try to help them based on intent. You can make this really direct by calling out hot spots on your site that you know people are visiting and seeking out.
Looking for services? Send them to your offers page
Looking for education? Send them to your best blog posts
Looking for you? Send them to your about page
Looking for a quick way to connect? Send them to your contact form/scheduling link
Whatever you decide, it’s important to consider the journey your audience might be on as well as where you’d really like to redirect them. Then, try to balance out the two.
Make Sure it’s Aligned with Your Brand’s Voice & Personality
Is your brand fun and casual? Your 404 page should be too – with no technical jargon that feels unaligned or makes people pause.
One of the tenets of a great brand voice and a curated personality is consistency. Consistent brand voice should transcend your core four website pages – it should be consistent across every platform or touchpoint your people interact with.
That means things like your…
IG or TikTok bio
LinkedIn content
Sales emails and newsletters
Blogs
Threads or Tweest
Customer-facing interactions
But it also means the small corners of your website, like your 404 error page.
Here’s the trick to having a great brand voice – it just feels right when people read your words and interact with you.
Think about your best friend or your significant other. They have a specific personality, right? Everything is going smoothly when they’re operating within the personality you know and are familiar with – even when it’s nuanced. But when they say or do something completely out of character, it’s kind of like this jump out of your skin.
Who are they? What’s gotten into them? Is something wrong? Can I trust this?
Those are all questions you’ve probably thought, to some degree, when people you know and vibe with act out of character.
To some variation, the same goes for your brand voice and your brand’s personality.
When your entire website sounds and feels one way but your 404 error page is a stark difference, people notice – and, as the kids say, it gives them the ick.
Enough of an ick for them to exit your error page without any redirection effort and find someone else.
Acknowledge the Whoops Factor – But Don’t Make it Your Main Focus.
They landed on your 404 error page for a reason – and whether it’s your fault (broken link?) or their fault (user error or a typo), it’s still not the outcome they were looking for.
It’s completely OK to acknowledge that a mistake or an error happened, but it shouldn’t be the entire focus of your page.
When you’re writing your 404 error page copy, ask yourself: what’s the biggest takeaway I want them to have when they end up here?
Is it that a huge mistake happened and you’re wicked sorry about it? Or is it more: “whoops! This isn’t the right spot – but I bet I can get you to the right spot with these convenient links.”
My bet is you’d rather give them the info they need and want (with a pop of personality) than make it a huge issue that they didn’t get there in the first place.
Looking for Website Copy That Covers the 404 Details? I Can Help
When it comes to website copy that converts and connects with your audience, a lot of the heavy lifting can be in the little details, like your 404 error page.
Of course, that’s not the only little nook and cranny of your site that can seal the deal – there are endless opportunities across your site’s real estate to share your brand’s personality, connect with your audience, and get them the info they're looking for.
Need help finding all those spots – then filling them with copy that does the work for you? Let’s chat about your website copy, your vision, and how Boundless Copy can help. Contact us anytime to chat about your web copy project.
