410 Gone

What is 410 Gone?

One of the best ways to think of a 410 error is to imagine it as the slightly more dramatic cousin of the more common 404 error.

Both errors tell visitors that a page is not available, but while a 404 stipulates that it can’t find the information requested, the 410 states that the page is gone for good and isn’t coming back. This makes the 410 a deliberate and permanent declaration of removal.

Why Use a 410?

What’s the point in opting for a 410 rather than a 404? The answer is because they can significantly alter how search engines react to reaching a missing page.

While crawlers will often check back for changes in 404 error codes, the more explicit stance of a 410 means that Google will drop the URL from its index at a faster pace, quickly cutting it out of search results.

This isn’t to say that Google treats both error codes differently, and over time they can carry the same effect, it’s just that the 410 is a more efficient tool if you’re certain that your page isn’t coming back.

Use Cases for a 410

So, what could cause you to use a 410 error? The most common approach is that you’ve intentionally and permanently removed a page with no replacement in mind. Common instances when this is applicable include:

• When a non-cyclical marketing campaign has expired
• You’ve discontinued a product
• You’re pruning old content

If you don’t have a relevant page to redirect to and would prefer search engines to forget your page exists, a 410 clearly communicates your decision.

410 or 301?

However, there’s one important rule to keep in mind. Just like with 404s, if the page being removed has earned backlinks or high volumes of traffic, adding a 410 will throw away the value that your website has gained from the page’s work for good.

In these cases, a 301 redirect link to an applicable live page is likely to help your SEO credentials much more than throwing your old URL away. With this in mind, it’s worth thinking of a 410 as a tool that’s reserved only for pages that are genuinely worthless and won’t impact your traffic if they’re erased.

Even if you’re an experienced SEO professional, it’s unlikely that you’ll regularly set 410s unless you’re deliberately pruning your content. As a rule of thumb, however, you should redirect the pages that hold value and reserve your 410s for only the URLs you want to be rid of entirely.