410 Gone

What Is The 410 Gone Error?

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:

  • 404 Error: I can’t find what you’re looking for.
  • 410 Error: What you’re looking for is gone for good.

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!

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What Causes The 410 Gone Error?

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:

  1. International Page Removal: Permanently delete a page or resource from your website and select the 410 status instead of a 404.
  2. Product Discontinuation: Ecommerce sites often use 410 errors for product pages where the products have been discontinued.
  3. Expired Content: Content that is considered time-sensitive and is no longer relevant.
  4. Website Redesign: During major website redesigns, owners might use a 410 status code for permanently removed pages.
  5. Legal or Compliance Issues: Content that needs to be removed due to legal reasons or copyright infringement.
  6. Cleaning Up Your Website: Removing outdated or irrelevant content as part of content pruning.

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.

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Should You Use A 410 Or 404 For Deleted Pages?

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-

  • The page or resource has been intentionally and permanently removed
  • You want search engines to remove the page from their index quickly
  • You’re 100% certain the content won’t be coming back
  • You’re doing content pruning and removing low-quality pages with no link equity

Use a 404 Not Found when-

  • The page is temporarily unavailable
  • You might bring the content back in the future
  • You’re not sure why the page is missing

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.

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How To Fix 410 Gone Errors

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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