Let’s acknowledge the obvious right away: nobody should ever see a 404 Not Found error message on your Website. It means that something is broken!

With that said, accidents happen. Sometimes content gets moved around, a software update or Web host migration changes links, or someone just goofs up when typing a link’s URL. When one of these mistakes occur, it’s good to have a customized 404 error message for two reasons:

1. The default is not very helpful. Somebody is actively looking for information on your site, which is a Good Thing. Help them find it with navigation links and/or a search field.
2. This is a branding opportunity. How do you want your company to be perceived? The default option is cold and unhelpful. It’s a small thing, but small moments at the margins are what truly define our brand in the long run.

Smashing Magazine has a great list of companies that have effectively capitalized on this branding opportunity with something interesting, beautiful, or clever. Some of my favorites include:

• The Frye/Wiles Creative Agency demonstrates whimsy and creativity
• InspirationBit lists popular and recommended articles
• Gog.com has a 404 that’s clever and fun

For some reason, fat Homer in the mumu seems to be popular too:

• Henrik Hedegaard (fat Homer #1)
• ARTTHUG Studios (fat Homer #2)

Customizing a 404 page is done by updating one of the files on your Web server, which your hosting provider can help you with if you’re not sure how to do it yourself. A very basic 404 error customization can take less than 10 minutes, which I know because I made one of my own right before publishing this article.¹

For more guidance on custom 404s, see MakeUseOf.com on how to build a great 404 page. And then, once you’ve built yours, you can hope that nobody ever sees it!

1. Yes, I am hilariously inept with Photoshop. [↩]