As shown in Figure 11-2, an error page
should accomplish all of the following:
1. Explain where the user is: Help the visitor understand that they have landed on a
page explaining that the content they are searching for cannot be found. While the
term ???404 Not Found??? should appear somewhere in the text (because it is the official
HTTP status response code), this first message should be friendly, clear, and
firm, like a police officer explaining to a tourist that they just turned the wrong way
down a one-way street.
2. List what might have gone wrong: There is a reason the visitor has found themselves
in a 404 page, so explain common symptoms like mistyped URLs (and common
mistakes therein, like typing an .html extension instead of a .php extension),
moved content, or a bad referring link.
3. Provide a means for finding the content: Once a visitor understands the content
they tried to access is not obviously available, they need a means to find it. At a
bare minimum, suggest they return to the homepage (useful if they arrived from
another site or search engine) or browse the site map. More useful, however, is
providing a search feature.
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