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March 29, 2015 // 8:00 AM

4 Way to Delight Vi itoWith Yo 4 4 o PageWritten by Mike Del Cuore | @mikedelcuore

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MARKETING / 7 days ago4 Ways to Delight Visitors WithYour 404 Error Page

MARKETING / 2 hrs agoThe 10 Weirdest Job InterviewQuestions on Glassdoor

MARKETING / 1 day ago

This post originally appeared on Agency Post. To read more content likethis, subscribe to Agency Post.

We’ve all seen them before: the frustrating little pages that appear when youclick a broken link on a website. Maybe the developer forgot to remove thatlink when they deleted that blog post. Or maybe they updated the site and anextra sneaky character got into the link URL. Whatever the case, sending awebsite visitor to a 404 page is never a good thing.

Ideally, we’d want our sites locked tight and linked right. But these things dohappen. However, we can use this as an opportunity to not only build brandloyalty but delight customers at the same time.

Here are four different approaches that break the boring 404 error page

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mold.

4 Approaches to the 404 ErrorPage

1) Use a little humor.

Do you remember that viral video of the goat that screams like a human? Itwas a massive hit online, and it was brought back into the culturalconversation by a few brands at the 2015 Super Bowl.

Blue Egg used this memorable video in its 404 error page. By incorporatinga part of pop culture, this page is a fun suprise for visitors. The brand invitesyou to watch the video as a sort of apology for the broken link. Then, youcan find your way back to the homepage when you’re done.

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One of the most prominent of all 404 pages is from Lego. Their playfulapproach uses clean imagery to highlight that the person has found abroken link. Using their own characters they are building brand loyalty andthe different expressions on each character gives the page a light-heartedhumor that can ease the frustration one might feel.

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Another clever use of humor comes from the personal site of InformationArchitect Henrik Hedegaard. Now, who can resist a image of HomerSimpson? Henrik used the familiar character from the fat guy hat episode.By using a familiar character in a comical situation, this website alsosuccessfully eased the tension of landing on an error page and provided asimple, straight-forward method to find your way back home.

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2) Entertain the visitor.

Another tactic one might consider for their error pages is to take thatopportunity and entertain your website visitor -- if only for a short time. Thebrief distraction could potentially make the person forget he even reachedan error page in the first place. This is a wonderful treat to give your visitor atsuch an awkward juncture in their digital journey.

Blue Daniel does an amazing job with its use of animation and cinema.When you reach its 404 page, you might not even know it’s an error page tobegin with. But as you watch what is happening on the screen, you begin to

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pick up on the little details that make this page so great. From the rotatingletters on top to the train entering the station to the screeching of the brakes,this error page feels more like a TV show than a website page.

What's more entertaining than a game? Blue Fountain took a creativeapproach when they designed their Pacman-inspired 404 error page. It’salmost impossible not to play a game or two if you happen to land on thispage. The distraction helps to alleviate the frustration from not ending upwhere you were expecting, and the creative use of the page leaves a lastingimpression on the visitor.

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3) Show off your skills.

9GAG used creative topography and a modern color scheme to displaytheir error page. It used a quirky headline to show off its creativity and a popof color to make the page visually appealing. This page doesn't adhere tothe design of the rest of the site, so it's a great attention-grabber.

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Another error page you can zone out on for hours is HotDot. This group ofdigital artists used millions of tiny dots to create an animated 404 page. Youcan watch the dots jump around and even respond to your mouse. Thepage showcases how the firm pays attention to even the smallest details,which emphasizes its brand identity.

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Deviant Art is known for all things visual and creative. Its simple, yeteffective, illustrated error page showcases the site's “mascot” character. It'sa creative way to highlight the brand's identity and to show that the siteunderstand how the visitor feels when he loses a file.

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4) Be functional.

This is an important concept. Don’t just leave your website visitor hanging --he's reached this page because something is broken. Why not give him allthe tools he needs to reach his desired destination?

Starbucks created a functional 404 page. It informs the visitor what couldhave potentially happened. It also gives a number of options for what theperson could do next. And like all good error pages, it invites feedback fromthe visitor directly.

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Mozilla also provides a helpful 404 error page. It gives the visitors numerousroutes out of the dead end page. It keeps the main navigation menu. It alsouses the page as an opportunity for a lead conversion by including a directdownload link for its browser. This is a great way to delight a wanderingtraveler.

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There are always opportunities to turn a negative situation around and use itas a way to delight your visitor and increase customer retention. By takingsome extra time and giving some thought to your 404 error page, you mightsnag a potentially lost client. (At the very least, you mind snag a spot ona "best of" blog post somewhere.) Regardless, it’s a great addition toclient web project as it shows that you know even the smallest details matterwhen building an online brand.

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Topics: Inbound Marketing, Web Design, Pop Culture

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The 10 Weirdest Job Interview Questions onGlassdoorWritten by Emma Snider

This post originally appeared on HubSpot's Sales Blog. To read morecontent like this, subscribe to Sales.

Google is renowned for posing bizarre questions to job candidates luckyenough to be called in for an interview. If you're applying for a job with thecompany, you might want to think about how many golf balls can fit on aschool bus, or design an evacuation plan for San Francisco.

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<

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<

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Transformed the Modern Event ExperienceWritten by Jami Oetting

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Are our digital lives blocking our ability to experience physical things? Cantechnology make us less or more human?

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Being humble keeps you hungry.“– Christine Tsai, Founding Partner, 500 Startups (Clickto Tweet)

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Tsai represents a notable exception to the rule. A founding partner at 500Startups and former Googler and YouTube leader, Christine is theembodiment of someone who brought growth to life as both an investor andan operator.

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Ever heard of the computer language called SQL? You may have heardabout it in the context of data analysis, but never really thought it would applyto you as a marketer. Or, you may have thought to yourself, "That's for thereally advanced data users. I could never do that."

Well, you couldn't be more wrong! The most successful marketers are data-driven, and one of the most important parts of being data-driven is beingable to collect data from databases quickly.

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8 Great Marketing Blogs You Probably Don'tFollow (But Should)Written by Nichole Elizabeth DeMeré

In the past couple of years, a few excellent, and informative sources ofmarketing wisdom have risen to prominence. With thoughtful content,original ideas, clear how-tos, and consistent schedules, these blogs havebecome household names (at least in your marketing department).

While these blogs deserve the recognition and readership they've cultivated,

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many people assume that those are the only places you should go fororiginal, quality marketing ideas.

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Why We Acquired RekindleWritten by Brian Halligan

As you may have seen, HubSpot has acquired Rekindle, a Boston basedtechnology startup with unique IP and innovations that we believe will helpHubSpot and our customers advance. But how? Below I’ve taken the time toshare some of my thoughts on why we made this specific acquisition andhow we view acquisitions like these as part of our commitment to rapidgrowth and transforming the marketing and sales landscape.

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3 Big Retailers That Also Rock Ecommerce

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Written by Morgan Jacobson

Ecommerce and mobile commerce are obviously here to stay, much to thechagrin of major brick-and-mortar retailers. We’ve seen some of the biggestnames in shopping go under, with Borders Books perhaps the mostobvious. Then there’s the story of Blockbuster and Hollywood Video, whichfailed after the introduction of Netflix. Those that don’t conform to buyers’need for convenience and privacy simply can’t survive.

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How to Produce an Internet Radio ShowWritten by Michael Reynolds

There are lots of ways to generate and publish content for your inboundmarketing efforts. From the tried and true written word that powers yourcorporate blog to infographics, webinars, video and ebooks, the number ofchannels available to you seem almost endless.

It can be frustrating at times to try to cut through the noise with this muchcontent being published. While publishing relevant information can help you

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create a loyal community of constituents, do you ever wonder if you couldreach more people by adapting your content to a different style?

If you're struggling to figure out "what's next," you might want to explore theidea of hosting your own live internet radio show.

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Starting a New Job? 8 Tips for Having aGreat First DayWritten by Lauren Pedigo

Congrats! After all the time you spent perfecting your resume, networkingwith people, and researching the company, you landed an interview -- andnailed it. The next day, you were offered the job (and gleefully accepted it).

The hard part is over, right?

Truthfully, the hard part is just beginning.

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The Inbound Marketing Kit You've BeenWaiting For [Free Download]Written by Erik Devaney

As an ancient Greek philosopher once said, "So many inbound marketingresources on the web; so little time to read them."

A wise and prophetic (and entirely fabricated) insight, indeed.

For modern marketers living in the age of information overload, prioritizingthe resources you want to learn from can be overwhelming.

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