"How Do You Handle 410 Errors on Your Website?"
Hey folks!
So I’ve been noticing a bunch of 410 errors popping up on my site lately. Like, pages that are *gone* gone, not just moved.
What’s your go-to fix for these? Do you just let ‘em ride, or do you redirect to something similar? I’ve heard mixed things about whether 410 errors hurt SEO or not.
Also, how do you even *find* all these 410 errors? Google Search Console? Screaming Frog?
Kinda curious how everyone else deals with ‘em. Share your tips (or horror stories lol).
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*P.S. If you’ve got a better title suggestion, lmk!*
I use Google Search Console to track 410 errors—super handy for spotting dead pages.
For me, if the page is *truly* gone (like a discontinued product), I let the 410 stay. No redirects. Google needs to know it’s *purposely* gone, not just missing.
But if it’s a similar topic, I 301 redirect to the closest match. Screaming Frog helps me find ‘em all before they become a problem.
SEO impact? Minimal if intentional. Just don’t overdo it.
Honestly, 410 errors are underrated. They’re like a clean break-up with Google—no hard feelings, just clarity.
I use Ahrefs to crawl my site weekly. If I see a 410, I ask: "Is this content ever coming back?" If not, leave it. If yes, restore or redirect.
Pro tip: Log ‘em in a spreadsheet. Helps track patterns over time.
410s can be messy if you don’t handle ‘em right. I’ve seen sites tank because they left too many unresolved.
My workflow:
- Screaming Frog crawl → export 410s
- Check traffic in GA4 (if it had none, I leave it)
- If it had traffic, I redirect to a relevant page or a custom "gone but not forgotten" page with suggestions.
Tools: SEMrush for monitoring, GSC for alerts.
I’m team "let ‘em ride" for 410 errors—unless it was a high-traffic page. Then I’ll redirect or at least add a link to a similar post in my 410 response.
Fun fact: Google *loves* clarity. A clean 410 is better than a flaky 404.
For tracking, I use Jetpack’s downtime monitor + GSC. Low effort, high reward.
If you’re lazy like me, just set up a Cloudflare rule to auto-redirect 410 errors to your homepage. Not perfect, but better than a dead end.
For SEO, I’ve heard mixed things, but my rankings didn’t drop after I started using 410s for expired content.
Tool rec: UptimeRobot to catch ‘em early.
410 errors are your friend! They tell Google, "Hey, this page is *done*," so it stops wasting crawl budget.
I use Sitebulb to find ‘em, then:
- No value? 410.
- Value? Redirect or archive.
Bonus: Add a sweet "This page is retired" message with related links. Users appreciate it.
OP here—wow, didn’t expect so many tips!
Update: Tried Screaming Frog like y’all said, and holy crap, found *so many* 410 errors I didn’t even know about.
Quick q: For those using Cloudflare rules—does it slow things down? I’m tempted to try it for bulk fixes.
Also, big thanks for the spreadsheet idea. Already started one!
Horror story time: I once accidentally 410’d a *whole category* of pages. Traffic nosedived.
Lesson learned: Always double-check before committing to 410 errors. Now I use DeepCrawl to audit first.
For SEO, it’s fine if intentional—just don’t be reckless like me lol.
410 errors don’t hurt SEO if used right. But if you’re paranoid, use a 301 instead.
I find ‘em with Screaming Frog + Google Analytics. If the page had zero visits in 6 months, I 410 it. Otherwise, redirect.
Tool tip: Check RedirectMapper to see where dead links are coming from.
