Website 404 Page Best Practices

A 404 page is part of the website experience. It cannot fix every broken link, but it can help a visitor recover when a URL is mistyped, removed, moved, or copied from an old source.

Pair a useful 404 page with an audit that fixes the causes. A friendly error screen is not permission to leave important links broken.

Say what happened plainly

Tell the visitor that the page could not be found and offer a next step. Avoid blaming the visitor or showing a technical message that does not explain how to continue.

Offer recovery paths

Link to the homepage, search, major services, contact, and the relevant hub when possible. If the missing URL resembles a product, article, or service, suggest the closest useful category rather than a random list.

Keep the response correct

The missing page should return a real 404 status instead of a successful page with an error message. Test trailing slashes, uppercase variants, old paths, query strings, and common broken links.

Use redirects when the destination is clear

Redirect an old URL when a relevant replacement exists. Do not redirect every missing page to the homepage; that hides errors and can create a poor experience.

The redirect audit checklist covers migration and URL decisions.

Track useful signals

Review high-volume 404 paths, referrers, internal links, recent changes, and customer reports. Prioritize errors that block an important service, form, product, or campaign.

Make recovery accessible

Use clear headings, keyboard-accessible links, readable contrast, a logical focus order, and a mobile layout that does not bury the recovery actions.