Businesses are getting all creative and using every piece of online real estate to convince the visitors. In such times, the 404 error pages were earlier seen as a deterrent to the user experience. Each one of you must have faced this, you click on a link on social media or websites to find that the page leads to nowhere and you are shown a 404 error message. Through the span of a website, certain pages are moved, redirected or removed altogether and when a visitor clicks on such links they are shown the blank 404 error page. But, you can utilize this scope as well and many businesses are already doing so. Here are some creative ways to utilize your 404 error page:

• Give them links to best content: Just because the visitor came searching to your website for a content that does not exist anymore, does not mean you would lead the person to a dead end. Rather, you can show some links of the best content you have. It would amaze you at how many people start surfing through the links you have put up alongside the 404 error message. And some of them would even end up surfing through your entire database of attractive content. Now, that is keeping a visitor, who was about to move away, engaged.
• Give them some special incentive: Just because your visitor was searching for non-existing information does not mean you cannot convert him/her into a sales prospect. Give the person some freebie information or service, which can be availed by entering the email address or other details. Such information can be used at a later date by the marketing team to reach out and convert these leads into sales. There are many websites who create a PDF version of the earlier existing piece of content, which can be downloaded by providing some personal information, and it works really well.
• Let them search: Adding a search box is a very logical decision. Maybe the exact page searched for by the visitor had to be removed, but the visitor is always ready to search about some similar topics and information. With the implementation of a search box in the 404 error page, you allow the visitor to do so without having to go back to the search engine. Again, you keep a visitor at the site longer and that is just what you want to attain.
• Let them write back: Adding a contact form in the error page serves two purposes. First of all it gives you a list of prospects that came looking for a particular type of service or content. Your marketing team can take these leads and convert them at a later date. Secondly, the mails coming through the contact form would help the business understand the error pages with high traffic and may be restore them, if possible.

As you can see, with some creativity, you can make the most of even the 404 error pages.