The short answer
The best 404 pages make people smile and then get them back on track: a funny line in your brand voice, a search box, links to popular pages and a phone number. And they return a real 404 status code.
- Funny, but in your brand voice
- Search box and top links
- Phone number for local businesses
- Real 404 status code
Originally published August 24, 2019. Updated November 5, 2026.
If we do say so ourselves – our 404 page is pretty funny. But I know there’s a ton of funny ones out there – so I went on a quest to find the funniest 404 pages in existence, and I’ll be honest – I wasn’t disappointed. If you don’t take this opportunity to make a funny 404 page, I will hunt you down and tickle you silly.
Clever 404 pages at a glance
Here are the 404 pages in this roundup, and the one thing each does well. Screenshots of each follow.
Funny 404 pages compared
The joke, and the lesson behind it.
Swipe sideways to see every column →
| 404 page | The joke | What it does well |
|---|---|---|
| Hook Agency | Certified silly goose material | Matches the brand’s voice |
| IMDb | A Big Lebowski “where’s the rug” bit | Uses a reference its audience loves |
| Lego | A playful “page not found” | Stays on brand for kids and parents |
| STG | Lionel Richie lyrics | A pun people screenshot and share |
| Chuck Norris page | Chuck Norris jokes | Leans on a meme everyone knows |
| Crying baby | An illustration of a crying baby | Makes the error feel human |
| Funny or Die | Al Gore, “you broke the internet” | Celebrity humor that fits the site |
| Mint.com | “We looked everywhere” | Friendly and reassuring |
| Justin the developer | “Page not available, but Justin is” | Turns an error into a personality moment |
| Meteor | A clean error message | Simple and on brand |
| Email Center | Pick who to fire | Interactive and memorable |
Hook Agency’s 404 Page – Certified Silly Goose Material
IMDB’s – Lebowski “Where’s the Rug” play
Lego.com’s playful ‘Page not found”
STG – Lionel Ritchie Lyrics 404 Page
Chuck Norris Funny 404 Page
Crying Baby – 404 Illustration
Al Gore – You Broke the Internet Funny or Die 404 Page
Mint.com – We Looked Everywhere 404 Page
- Leads from Google, Maps and AI search
- Nobody else is buying the same lead
- You own your website and ad accounts
“Hook Agency has been an incredible partner for our digital marketing growth.”
Kristin Sullivan, Bob’s ACFocused on the map? See Google Maps SEO
Probably My Favorite – “Page not available, but Justin the Developer is”
Meteor – 404 Error Message
Email Center – Pick Who to Fire Landing Page
Why make sure you have a clever 404 page?
The only real reason to have a clever 404 page is to “delight your users.”
“Delighting your users” is nerd, UX designer speak for helping the people on your website enjoy themselves.
If someone doesn’t feel all weird and bad when they land on the 404 page, and instead feels like they got a little ‘easter egg’ surprise instead, then perhaps it was worth putting a little effort into a small detail that only a fraction of your website users will ever see.
The principle at play here is that things like ‘micro-copy’, thank you messages, and other small details of a website should be thought through, and conversational. If they’re clever and funny than all the better. A good rule is that you should try to be ‘conversational’, or in other words – write as you speak.
Don’t waste time with overly formal words – or try to be corporate-esque. If you have to, record yourself talking candidly, and assume that style when writing.
When is it appropriate to have a funny 404 Page?
If you can be funny for your brand, you can be funny for your 404 page.
That means – if, on social media, it’s not totally inappropriate to use some wit (like you’re not marketing for a herse company, or talking about really sensitive topics) than funny is a wonderful way to help people let their guard down when dealing with your brand.
What about next steps?
Ideally, a 404 page has some key next steps on it.
If you just landed on a 404 page, what might you want to do next?
- Go back to the homepage?
- Search for the thing you didn’t find?
- Go to the blog index?
If in your companies situation, any of these things apply, you might want to provide those next steps under your humorous, conversational piece.
They can be paired with a list of popular posts, categories, or either key pages that people visit the most often on your website – and you can further delight your website, visitors.
Have you started delighting yet? Get to it.
What every 404 page needs
Funny gets a smile. Useful keeps the visitor. The best 404 pages do both: a line in your brand voice, then a fast way back to what the person was looking for.
Example: a contractor 404 page
A joke in your voice, then three ways back in.
404 page checklist
Make sure yours has all of these.
- A short, friendly headline in your brand voice
- A search box
- Links to your most popular pages or services
- Your phone number or a contact button
- The same header, footer and navigation as the rest of the site
- A real 404 status code, not a 200
For a local service business, the phone number matters most. Someone who hit a dead link might be standing in a flooded basement or staring at a missing shingle. Give them a one-tap way to call before you give them anything else. A cute joke that hides the phone number is a lost lead.
404 page ideas for contractors
Home service companies have it easy here: every trade comes with built-in puns. Pick one that sounds like your crew, then add your phone number right below it.
404 headlines by trade
Steal one, or use it to spark your own.
Swipe sideways to see every column →
| Trade | 404 headline |
|---|---|
| Roofing | This page blew off the roof. |
| Plumbing | This page went down the drain. |
| HVAC | This page is blowing hot air. |
| Electrical | This page lost power. |
| Landscaping | This page got mowed over. |
| Remodeling | This page is still under construction. |
| Pest control | Something chewed through this page. |
How to write your 404 copy in 10 minutes
Grab two people from your team and ask: if a customer got lost on our website, what would we say to them on the phone? Write down the first funny, friendly answer. That’s your headline. Then add one sentence that tells them what to do next, and stop. A 404 page is not the place for a paragraph. Read it out loud. If it sounds like something your best tech would say in a customer’s driveway, ship it.
404 pages and SEO
A funny 404 page is nice. Fewer people landing on it is better. A few habits keep broken pages from costing you leads and rankings.
Keep 404s from hurting SEO
The technical side, in plain English.
Swipe sideways to see every column →
| Do this | Why |
|---|---|
| Return a real 404 status code | A “not found” page that returns 200 is a soft 404, which confuses Google |
| 301 redirect pages you moved | Sends visitors and link value to the new page |
| Don’t redirect every 404 to the homepage | Google often treats that as a soft 404 anyway |
| Check the Pages report in Google Search Console | It lists URLs Google found that return “Not found (404)” |
| Fix internal links that point to dead pages | Broken links waste clicks and crawl time |
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a 404 page?
The page a website shows when someone visits a URL that doesn’t exist, often from a broken link or a mistyped address.
Should a 404 page be funny?
If humor fits your brand, yes. Just make sure it also helps people find what they came for.
Do 404 errors hurt SEO?
A few are normal. Problems come from broken internal links, moved pages without redirects and “soft 404s” that return the wrong status code.
Should I redirect all 404s to my homepage?
No. Redirect moved pages to their closest match, and let truly gone pages return a 404.
How do I find broken links on my site?
Use the Pages report in Google Search Console to see URLs returning 404, or run a site crawler to find internal links that point to missing pages.
Can I change my 404 page on WordPress?
Yes. Most themes include a 404 template you can edit, and many page builders let you design a custom 404 page without code.
