Jul
27
Written by:
Whereoware Staff
Friday, July 27, 2012 4:45 PM
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Site visitors come across dead pages all of the time, either by following a broken link or typing in the wrong address. The situation, while not ideal, is common enough. What really matters is what you do with it once it occurs. Should you leave your visitors hanging with a one-size-fits-all error message? Absolutely not! How you choose to handle lost customers maybe the perfect time for you to shine.
What are error messages?
There are many types of error pages customers can be directed to, but some of the most common are 404 and 500 pages.
- Definition: HTTP 404 – custom error pages – the website server processed a query, but could not find what was requested
- Definition: HTTP 500 – internal server error – generic error message, query could not be completed
Don’t provide your customers with a generalized “cannot find” message; take this opportunity to make your site unique and memorable, even as you correct an error. Here are some ways to do just that:
Have some fun
Sure, you could go with the standard ‘informational’ error page, or you could have some fun with it. But how?
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The choices are limitless – bright colors, quirky text, funny or wise or intelligent drawings and prose…your error pages can truly be as unique as your company itself. Trying to establish a brand presence? Just as in real life, the way you respond to a ‘crisis’ can say a lot about your character. Take the opportunity to set a tone for your brand that will last beyond this single malfunction.
In addition, a little humor can go a long way, especially with customers weary of not being able to locate their desired products. Who knows? Humor may just be enough to convince them to stay on your site and browse further.
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The infamous twitter Fail Whale.
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Be helpful
Customers generally come to your site with a purpose in mind; hitting a 404 or 500 page is unfortunate, but it doesn’t need to be the end of the line for their visit. Rather than risk losing customers with an error page, try to provide guidance by suggesting related products, categories or pages.
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Say you know customers are looking for camping items, but you can’t tell which products. Why not show them a selection and let them decide for themselves which best items fit their needs? Providing a selection narrowed to their interests rather than site-wide offers puts you that much closer to targeting the item they really want.
Another good option is to provide visitors with an option to search again without having to return to your homepage or to an external search engine.
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And what about misspellings? As we’ve discussed before, accounting for spelling mistakes can make all of the difference. Try showing offers closely related to their misspelled product - chances are good that you’ll hit close to home.
Seize the day
What if your site search has a hard time unraveling what your customer was actually looking for, or if that category or product just doesn’t exist? You can still try to make a sale. Try sending visitors straight to pages containing bestsellers or crucial information.
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You might also consider pointing lost customers to new sales, as in the case of Omaha Steaks (“Oops…The product or page you are searching for can’t be found. Click here to find other great deals”).
The bottom line
Each of these tactics has its own merits, so pick the one that fits your company and business model best. Whatever you do, however, don’t leave your customers hanging – without further guidance to encourage them, a generic error page could mean the difference between a sale and a missed opportunity. It’s a little effort that could pay off big – don’t let that chance slip by!
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