Many Shopify stores never change their 404 pages. This is a mistake. The default 404 page leaves little opportunity for a visitor to stay on the site. A few changes could prevent visitors from leaving or even lead to a sale.
Default 404 Pages
The issue with the default 404 page is the page is bare. A visitor is likely to leave because they think the product is no longer available. But the product is there, the link wasn’t updated, and that caused the 404 error. If you guide them towards the product, they will not leave and make the purchase.
Search Bar
Add a search bar in the middle of the page. Add the bar between your 404 elements and collection elements. The search bar is for people who know what they want. They can type in the product and leave the page.
Popular Products
A Shopify Merchant should use a 404 page to help guide visitors to their destination. Most likely, a visitor was looking for one of the most popular products. A Shopify Merchant can guide a lost visitor by displaying the right products.
The best method of displaying the most popular products is by creating a collection. Find the store’s top-selling products and add them to a collection. Then, display the collection on the 404 page.
The collection will act as a general overview for new visitors. They will get to see the products people buy.
Email Sign Up
The final element of a 404 page is an email sign-up form. They might not want to give their email to a Shopify store on a 404 page. But a Shopify Merchant can make a joke of the situation. The form can have the text, “We send everyone who sees the 404 page a discount. Sign up to get your discount…” They might think the text is funny and sign up.
Then, segment them in the email list. Send them a “special” welcome email. The discount code can continue the joke, making the code “ERROR404.” Instead of the usual welcome discount.
Do Not Optimize Too Well
Keep in mind the 404 page is an error page. If a 404 page gets too well optimized, visitors might not recognize the page as an error.
To avoid the issue, use hierarchy. The most prominent elements on the page should relate to the 404 error. Then, add elements to prevent visitors from leaving.
Conclusion
Most Shopify Merchants do not optimize 404 pages. They think their store will never have an error. But pages get removed or updated, not every link to the page gets updated. Which creates a 404 error. Not optimizing the 404 page is a mistake and a missed opportunity.