The 410 Gone Error is an HTTP status code sent by the server when a browser or web crawler requests a page that is no longer available.
It simply means that the server the website is hosted on tells you that the page you wanted to visit is no longer available.
So, your web browser returns a 410 gone error.
A 410 error is different from a 404 error because it explicitly states that the page has been completely removed and will never be found at that URL address again.
The 404 error status code could be as simple as a typo in the URL.
Why does all this matter?
As a user, it doesn’t.
Both the 410 and 404 essentially mean the same thing to your average internet user. But as a website owner, it’s a different story…
A 410 gone error communicates to search engines that the page is gone and never coming back.
The 404 error, on the other hand, could be a website error or a temporarily removed page.
To put it simply:
When a server returns a 410 Gone status code, it’s a clear signal to Google that the requested page is no longer available and has been intentionally removed.
In this case, Google would almost always immediately remove the page from its index. For a 404 error, they might leave it a few days before de-indexing it.
That’s why it’s essential to identify 410 Gone errors immediately.
They can significantly affect your SEO!
What Will I Learn?
The most common cause of the 410 Gone error is that the website owner deliberately removed the page.
But that is not the only reason…
These are the main causes of a 410 Gone error:
The thing to remember is this…
A 410 Gone error is almost always intentional. It’s rarely caused by server issues or temporary website problems.
That means a real person must have set the status code to show 410 on purpose.
Choosing between a 410 Gone and a 404 Not Found status code depends on what you want to communicate to search engines.
410 Gone is typically used to communicate permanent removal. The 404 Not Found has other implications.
Here’s a better overview of both:
Use a 410 Gone when-
Use a 404 Not Found when-
Here’s the thing:
In most cases, a 301 redirect or 302 redirect is better than just leaving the page as a 404. That’s because 404s typically indicate an error.
The bottom line is this…
While both 410 and 404 status codes tell search engines that a page doesn’t exist, a 410 is a much stronger signal.
It also communicates that the page has been deleted intentionally, not that there is an error.
To fix a 410 Gone Error, you first need to identify the cause.
Remember that most 410 errors are mostly intentional and made by humans. They very rarely occur because the website or page “broke”.
Found a 410 error you want to remove?
The first step is to simply restore the page and then submit the URL to Google. This will tell Google the content is back and allow them to recrawl it.
If you find that a page is returning a 410 by accident, it’s likely a server configuration issue.
You’ll need to remove any incorrect files or rules causing the issue.
This will take a bit of technical knowledge, so it’s probably best that you reach out to your web hosting service or web developer to take care of it.
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