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February 26, 2014

3 minutes

In my last blog post, I talked about 404 errors, which are frustrating to come across when you’re surfing the web and click on a link that seems promising. When it comes to website and HTTP errors, 404s are just the tip of the iceberg (sorry, I just watched Titanic). Have you ever seen a 410 error?

What Is a 410 Error?

4xx status codes mean that there was probably an error in the request, which prevented the server from being able to process it. Specifically, a 410 error means “gone.” In Google’s terms, “the server returns this response when the requested resource has been permanently removed. It is similar to a 404 (Not found) code, but is sometimes used in the place of a 404 for resources that used to exist but no longer do.”

410 vs. 404

410 errors aren’t quite the same as 404 errors, which indicate the page is “not found.” In some cases, 410 status codes are better than 404 status codes because they present more information. By using a temporary custom 410 page, you give the search engine robots the more accurate status and knowledge that the old link should be removed from their crawl index—which can prevent unnecessary traffic.

From a Technical Aspect

According to Google, when a page issues a 404 header response, it may sometimes still revisit the page to make sure it’s really invalid. Using the 410 response code will at least ensure that Google won’t ever go back to that page again and get to the more important pages on the site, helping overall crawlability. The 410 response code should be used when there isn’t another option and that the page cannot be redirected to a similar or corresponding page. So if you’re sure that a page no longer exists and will never exist again, using a 410 can be a good thing. Google’s John Mueller said, “We do treat 410s slightly differently than 404s. In particular, we’ll sometimes want to confirm a 404 before removing a URL from the index, and we tend to do that faster with a 410 HTTP result code…If you want to speed up the removal (and don’t want to use a noindex meta tag or the urgent URL removal tools), then a 410 might have a small time-advantage over a 404.”

From a Usability Aspect

From a usability standpoint, it may be better in some cases to use a temporary 410 status code before using a 404 and redirecting. If you never will have a page return on a specific URL, then 410 it. Let’s say your company stops selling a certain product and does not want to be found for online searches related to it or associated with it in anyway. Instead of using a 404 status code, it may be better to use a temporary 410 status code. You can create an attractive custom 410 page that says something like “We no longer offer {insert product or service}. Visit {main services page, about page, or homepage} to learn more about what we offer.” This is better because users won’t be redirected to a page that isn’t relevant and be confused about what happened (unless they’re website-savvy, and let’s face it, many people aren’t).

Need Website Services?

If you need help with your website, the Blue Corona team can help. We can ensure your website is both SEO- and user-friendly and that there are no problems with errors.

You Might Also Be Interested In…

Do 404 Errors Hurt SEO? How Can I Improve My Site’s Crawlability?

Alanna Hernandez

Alanna is the Quality Assurance Manager in Blue Corona's Maryland office. When she's not triple-checking websites and content for errors and consistency, you can find her at the gym with her twin sister or urban exploring with her husband.

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410 Status Codes & SEO

What Is a 410 Error?