A 404 page is the standard web page displayed when an online visitor calls a page that doesn’t exist on the site’s server. The error can happen for a variety of reasons, including a mistyping a URL or clicking a dead link.

The error code itself may be standard, but the 404 page doesn’t have to be. Many news websites create special 404 pages that include site navigation, search options, links to popular site features, or any combination of the above to ensure the visitor doesn’t arrive at a dead end.

Below are examples of standard and creative 404 pages from various media websites:

CNN

Current

Guardian.co.uk

Los Angeles Times

NPR

The Onion

People

Sports Illustrated

The Washington Post

For information on how to setup a 404 page, check out this tutorial. For more examples, click over to Webdesigner Depot’s 50 Creative and Inspiring 404 Pages.