The Joker Role of the Mysterious 404 Page

I had originally discovered the role of a “404 Page” was to act as a signal that something was “missing.”  The general idea behind it was to keep visitors from leaving your site frustrated because as one example, the designer/host of the web site had a broken link and since there was no file by that name to display to the visitor, the visitor reaches a dead-end, blank page. 

Although there is a default page out of the control of a designer, (typically a grey background with a rounded-corner square with a white background reporting to you that you’ve got a problem…) with a little programming, a 404 page can be called upon to act as a guide back to the pages that actually do exist.

Also, when an end user does not enter an address that matches the name of a file being published by the host, one typo in the address bar means you may even avoid a custom-designed 404 page altogether, let alone missing the match-up the clicker was trying for.

I’ve always been a general fan of the idea, but it wasn’t until recently I began looking at the 404 page in a new light.

I started remembering all of the clickable advertisements I used to see on 404 pages and saw the possibility for addresses of never-existing file names being available to the players of this side band game of skipping and hopping around hoping to disconnect the motives of the visit.

Do I have a 404 page?  You bet!  And whether or not you see it because I have a broken link that leads someone there or perhaps a typo on the part of the end user will matter when it comes to the maintenance of my site, but it is one more location I refuse to put external advertising on.

Abuse of this default relies on what is chosen to be clickable on a 404 page.  Remember that word “chosen.” When you click on a link, you leave behind the message, “I am now leaving the original host displaying the 404 page and will now record my entry of a new site coming from this 404 page.” 

When a 404 page has Pay Per Click advertisements being displayed, then every single web site on the Internet becomes a convenient play-thing for PPC Masters trying to funnel click traffic through various channels and for various purposes.

Now although a service provider putting up only internal self-advertisements still has a PPC flavor to it (such as on the domains that have expired and the notice of such an event), the 404 page still has a relatively silent, but significant role due to bookmarking services.

Once a web page is named and published, people can place anchors on the page via the basics such as your Favorites list in your browser, the mid-range service providers like many of the social bookmarking services and then there’s the niche service providers who provide things like highlighting services, scoring mechanisms, etc.

The 404 PPC Scheme tends to rely on click menus containing an okay, if not hefty dose of these “missing pages” woven into the click schedule.  And the more clickable points on the page, the greater the opportunity to use a site to abuse the right to sight of advertisements promoting a reason to keep clicking per the designers/hosts instructions.

Although I have not read very many industry articles about the topic lately, I do remember some minor rumblings about this issue and thought it would be a good idea to toss out this general overview of the role of the 404 page…

The 404 page is one of the major jokers in the deck of a designer so beware of the designs chock full of links and advertisements.  It might not be a page designed to act its part properly…look for clean designs, limited links and short lists on how to get back on track, including a link to your home page.

The 404 page can also go social/viral if you are looking to make a name for yourself…it all depends on how original your message is…and promote it to the right social networks/bookmarking services…