One common mistake I see as a Squarespace and Showit website designer is how many business owners disregard adding a 404 page on their website.

Your reaction to this is likely one of two things:

“OMG! How could anyone NOT have a 404 page?!” OR

“Um...what even is a 404 page (and why do I need it?!)”

If your reaction was the latter, don’t worry - there is still time to get a default 404 page up and running on your website and reap all the benefits of doing so.

But first, let’s cover the basics:

Chances are, even if you don’t know off the top of your head what a 404 page is, you’ve seen one before. If you’re on a website and click a link that no longer exists, you’re likely redirected to one.

It might say “Oh snap! We can’t find what you’re looking for,” or “This page no longer exists!”

In short, a 404 page is simply a page that displays on your website if a user clicks a link that’s no longer active or ends up on a page that no longer exists on your site.

Having a 404 page helps because it:

Decreases bounce rate (People are much less likely to leave your site after following a broken link if you have a fun 404 page that can redirect them to other content!)

Improves user experience (Clicking a broken link is no fun, and it can be super frustrating for a user trying to find information they need. Having a 404 page where you can apologize for the inconvenience and help them find what they are looking for makes their experience SO much better.)

First, you need to include a headline on your 404 page. This might say something like “Oops, that page no longer exists!” or “Not quite sure how you ended up here,” or You ended up in no man’s land!” Feel free to make it humorous and lighthearted.

Don’t let this be the last impression a user gets from your website! Give them a call to action to KEEP THEM ON YOUR SITE and reduce your bounce rate, whether it’s searching specific terms in the search bar or checking out your recent blog posts.

Make sure you include a search bar to support your call to action, allowing users to manually search for whatever they were looking for.

These buttons should align with your website goals! Provide links in the form of buttons to whatever cool things you’re promoting on your website.

If your focus is booking out your 1:1 services, then lead them to a page with more information. If your goal is to grow your passive income, then invite them into your evergreen course funnel by joining your free webinar.

Allow users to stay on your site and keep exploring your brand by providing links to recent blog posts or podcast episodes where they can learn more about your brand!

This is a great idea if your blog or podcast is very active.