410 vs 404 for SEO: Which Status Code Should You Use?
What 404 and 410 tell search engines, and when to use each โ or a redirect instead.
When you delete a page, your server has to say something to visitors and search engines. The two usual answers are 404 Not Found and 410 Gone. Both tell Google the page is not available, and both eventually lead to it being dropped from the index. The difference is small but sometimes useful.
404 Not Found
A 404 says "there is nothing at this address right now". It does not say whether the page will come back. It is the default for any missing URL, and it is completely normal for a website to return 404s.
410 Gone
A 410 says "this page existed and has been removed on purpose". Google has said it treats 410 as slightly more permanent, so the URL may be dropped a little faster. In practice, the difference is usually days, not months.
When to use each
- 404 โ the default for missing pages, mistyped URLs and anything you are not sure about.
- 410 โ content you deliberately removed for good: discontinued products with no replacement, expired events, removed spam pages.
- 301 redirect โ when there is a close replacement, or the old page has backlinks or traffic. Redirect to the most relevant page, not the homepage.
Common mistakes
- Soft 404s: showing "Page not found" with a 200 status. Google flags these โ see how to fix soft 404 errors.
- Redirecting every deleted page to the homepage. Google often treats these as soft 404s too.
- Leaving internal links to deleted pages. Visitors hit dead ends and crawlers waste time.
- Using 410 for pages that might return, such as seasonal products.
Find and fix links to removed pages
After removing pages, run the broken link checker to find any internal links still pointing to them, and update or remove those links. Read do broken links affect SEO for why this matters.
Make your 404 page helpful
A good 404 page explains that the page is not available and offers a search box, popular categories and a link to the homepage, while still returning a 404 status.
A worked example
An events website kept 2,000 old event pages from past years. They had no traffic or links. The team returned 410 for events older than two years, redirected recurring annual events to the current year's page, and removed internal links to the deleted pages. Google dropped the old URLs over the next few weeks and crawled the current events more often.
A decision checklist for deleted pages
- Does the page have backlinks? If yes, redirect to the closest relevant page.
- Does it still get visits or impressions? If yes, redirect or keep it.
- Is there a newer or similar page? If yes, redirect.
- Will it come back (seasonal, restock)? If yes, keep it live.
- None of the above? Return 410 or 404 and remove internal links to it.
Record what you decided for each removed URL. It saves time later when old URLs appear in reports.
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Frequently asked questions
Do 404 errors hurt my rankings?
No. 404s for pages that should not exist are normal. Fix them only when they affect important pages or links.
Is 410 better than 404 for SEO?
Only slightly faster for removal. Both work.
Should I redirect all 404 pages?
Only when a relevant replacement exists or the old page has links or traffic.
How long does Google take to drop a 410 page?
It depends on crawl frequency, usually days to weeks.