Error page (2024)

FAQs

What is an error page? ›

An error page is displayed to a user when they attempt to access a page that cannot be displayed due to various reasons like a 404 Not Found error. These pages are designed to inform users that something has gone wrong and provide guidance on how to proceed.

A 404 page is also known as an “error page” or “Page Not Found” page. This page indicates that the user reached the domain they requested, but the URL path provided no information. If that sentence made your eyes glaze over, you're not alone.

In computer network communications, the HTTP 404, 404 not found, 404, 404 error, page not found, or file not found error message is a hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP) standard response code, to indicate that the browser was able to communicate with a given server, but the server could not find what was requested.

A 404 error page is an HTTP status code that means the page you were looking for doesn't exist on the server where the website is hosted. For example, you might land on a 404 error page by mistyping the url of the page you are trying to locate. 404 error pages are often an afterthought.

Try to find the page through a web search, since it may have moved to a different URL. Use another device. It is possible there is a client error or issue with the user's browser. If the page works on another device, clear the first device's cache and cookies.

Links that lead to a 404 page are often called broken or dead links and can be subject to link rot. A 404 status code only indicates that the resource is missing: not whether the absence is temporary or permanent. If a resource is permanently removed, use the 410 (Gone) status instead.

It lets your user know that there is an error with their request. Perhaps they mistyped the URL, the page is temporarily unavailable, or the page no longer exists. An effective 404 page will recognize the mistake and guide them back to relevant pages of the site.

“404” is the error code that indicates the resource at that URL is “not found.” When a browser tries to load content for a URL where content can't be found, it gets the “404” HTTP status code back from the server instead. You can check any URL's HTTP status code by using an HTTP status checker tool like httpstatus.io.

The original creator of The Best 404 Page Ever decided to shut down the project.

Here are some best design practices for crafting a user-friendly and engaging 404 page. Clear error message: Ensure the 404 error message is displayed and clearly states that the requested page cannot be found. Use friendly and simple language to explain the error.

Why am I getting 404 error on Google? ›

The 404 error response is a message from a server to the crawler (or a browser) telling the the crawler that the server encountered an error in fetching the requested webpage because it does not exist. The error is that the webpage does not exist. It's not an error in the sense that this is something to fix.

An error may be defined as the difference between the measured and actual values. For example, if the two operators use the same device or instrument for measurement. It is not necessary that both operators get similar results. The difference between the measurements is referred to as an ERROR.

Server Issues

This is one of the most common reasons for encountering this error. Web servers host websites, and if there are problems on the server-side, it can lead to the "Web Page Not Available" error.