Don't worry, this article isn't actually going to cover 404 mistakes, rather it's referring to "404 Error Page" which potential visitors to your website may see.

What is the 404 Error Page?

When visitors click on a link on or to your site, for some reason or another the page may longer be there, and visitors will see an error page, commonly referred to as a 404 Error Page.

Maybe the page was taken down, maybe the link was mistyped, whatever the reason, a 404 Error Page is dead real estate on your website.

Here are 5 tips you can do to fully utilize your 404 Error Page:

1. Make your 404 error page look like your website.

Whenever someone clicks on a link that leads them to an error page, they get a very generic looking error page which leaves an impression of unprofessionalism with your website.

By making your 404 error page look like the template on your site, you can let visitor know that they page they are looking for is not available, and do it in a classy manner.

2. Encourage them to stay

While the page they were looking for wasn't there, now is a good opportunity to ask them to look around your site and see if there is anything else that may interest them. This is as simple as using step 1 above and making your error page look like your home page.

3. Give them a special offer

They're already at your site, why not attempt to make thema special offer. You can even position this as a special offer to compensate for not having the information they were looking for available.

4. Get them to subscribe to your newsletter

You do have a newsletter that collects name and email, at the bare minimum right? If someone arrived at your site and and landed at an error page, they may not be ready to take you up on any type of special offer. However, now may be a good time to try and collect their information so you can follow up with them in the future.

5. Offer other links, resources, and point them in the right direction.

This might be the best course of action to take after all. When someone arrives on an error page, they are generally "lost". Now is a good time to keep them on your site and "point them in the right direction". Provide links, navigation, and other resources to get them out of the error page and onto other areas of your site that you know are up and running.