Expired content: status code 404, 410 or 301 redirect?
Posted: Sun Dec 22, 2024 8:16 am
When I manage large sites, especially e-commerce, I find a lot of 404 errors in Search Console, which have accumulated over time. To verify that these 404s do not actually impact the “ health of the site ” I analyze them one by one and only then decide whether to perform a redirect, or provide a HTTP 410 Gone status code (in an attempt to speed up the elimination of the resource from search results).
To determine this, you need to ask yourself some questions list of phone numbers in india that can be helpful during the evaluation: Do the URLs rank? Are they still receiving traffic? Are they providing the user with useful and up-to-date information?
In order to improve the user experience, however, I recommend implementing a custom 404 page , to be used instead of the standard one. This page must be faithful to the style of the site, must contain a clear and captivating message , as well as one or more useful links that allow the continuation of navigation or a contact form that favors conversion. Here is an example:
Lavazza custom 404 page for content that no longer exists
Lavazza's personalized 404 page not only puts a smile on the user's face, making them forget that they've landed on a non-existent page, but also enables them to return to explore the site .
Once you understand the disadvantages of managing expired content with a 404 status code , you need to evaluate what an alternative method could be. How to do it? You could definitely use a tool that is capable of checking the positioning of the pages and the backlinks received, like SEMrush .
After entering the domain to be analyzed in the platform, you should select the Organic Research tool and then click on the “Pages” item.
How to analyze your site pages that receive traffic with semrush
This report shows all the URLs of the site, indicating the data on the percentage of traffic that the said page generates, the amount of keywords positioned in Google and the backlinks pointing to the resource.
To determine this, you need to ask yourself some questions list of phone numbers in india that can be helpful during the evaluation: Do the URLs rank? Are they still receiving traffic? Are they providing the user with useful and up-to-date information?
In order to improve the user experience, however, I recommend implementing a custom 404 page , to be used instead of the standard one. This page must be faithful to the style of the site, must contain a clear and captivating message , as well as one or more useful links that allow the continuation of navigation or a contact form that favors conversion. Here is an example:
Lavazza custom 404 page for content that no longer exists
Lavazza's personalized 404 page not only puts a smile on the user's face, making them forget that they've landed on a non-existent page, but also enables them to return to explore the site .
Once you understand the disadvantages of managing expired content with a 404 status code , you need to evaluate what an alternative method could be. How to do it? You could definitely use a tool that is capable of checking the positioning of the pages and the backlinks received, like SEMrush .
After entering the domain to be analyzed in the platform, you should select the Organic Research tool and then click on the “Pages” item.
How to analyze your site pages that receive traffic with semrush
This report shows all the URLs of the site, indicating the data on the percentage of traffic that the said page generates, the amount of keywords positioned in Google and the backlinks pointing to the resource.