10 of the Best 404 Pages

10 Of the best 404 Pages

‘Error’, ‘File not Found’, the Page you are looking for has been moved’. It seems that we’ve all been seeing these 404 page error messages since the dawn of the internet and they can be incredibly frustrating. However, some site owners have injected a little creativity to the extent that some searchers will even seek them out deliberately.

Here are ten of the best 404 pages in the history of the net.

10. Rollingstones.com

The official website for one of the world’s biggest and oldest rock bands has joined in the fun by using their 404 page to pay homage to one of their more famous tracks.

Clicking on an unavailable link in the site will bring you the message, ‘You can’t always get what you want. But if you try sometime, You just might find you get what you need.’ As an added bonus, there’s an eight minute Youtube video of some classic concert footage.

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9. YouTube.com

Sticking with Youtube, at times the addition of a plain and simple design can really enhance a 404 page and make it memorable.

This example from You Tube does just that and at the same time, it sums up exactly how most of us feel when we find such a page.

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8. Mint.com

Mint offer software packages to enable you to balance business and household finances and they have paid so much attention to their 404 page, that it has changed on a number of occasions over the years.

(earlier 404 here - http://gizmodo.com/5865931/the-internets-best-404-error-pages/gallery/1)

Currently, they give you the bad news that the page you requested is missing but the message and image are something that we can all relate to.

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7. Medicalmissions.com

Medical missions do some admirable work in helping those looking to serve in the healthcare sector overseas. Their work covers the whole planet and they’ve used that as a basis for a humorous 404 page.

Like many of these pages, the message sums up the frustration at finding a 404 but rather than make us irritable, it helps to put a smile on our faces.

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6. Seat Geek

Talking of things that make you smile, what better to diffuse your frustration than the sight of a cuddly rabbit?

Here’s US ticket agency Seat Geek’s take on the 404 page issue.

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5. Blue Fountain Media

If you’re tired of seeing images from 404 pages, no matter how amusing they may be, why not find one that gives you something to do?

Blue Fountain Media’s page not found is set out in the form of a maze and you can actually play Pacman while you consider whether it was ever worth looking for that original file.

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4. Lego

Lego is a long established company with a reputation for innovation and also for fun. Both of those factors combine perfectly here in the company’s colourful 404.

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3. 501^st Legion

A Star Wars costuming organisation, 501^st Legion is the place to go when you want to get kitted out for a convention or any other of those special occasions when it’s suitable and acceptable to turn up dressed as Darth Vader.

To quote a similar series, it’s far from illogical Captain, that the site owners chose a famous quote from the films to make their own 404 page stand out.

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2. Homestar Runner

The Homestarrunner.com site has plenty of entertainment options with which to while away an idle days surfing and even their 404 page fits in with their overall philosophy.

Is it a good idea however to insult your readers? Probably not but anyone who stumbles across this is more likely to laugh than be offended.

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1. Blippy

Choosing the best page from a long list is an impossible task but this one from Blippy.com is a sure contender. Perhaps the best 404 is one that makes you smile, diffuses your frustration and gives you something to do at the same time.

This one checks all of those boxes – start clicking on the Unicorn and keep your eye on the rainbow.

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