What is the 410 Gone Error?
410 Gone is an HTTP status code that a web server can return when a user or crawler requests a page or resource that is no longer available.
While this is similar to a 404 not found response, the key difference is that a 410 error code indicates that the resource or page was in use and has been requested to no longer be available and that it will no longer be available again at the requested URL or address.
For a user, a 410 error means the webpage was removed.
For a search engine or crawler, the 410 status code gives a clear request to the crawler that the page has been removed and is no longer available at this address.
Should you use 410 for deleted pages on your website?
If you are deleting a page on your website and it’s not a temporary removal, along with you not having a substitute for the page on your website, then serving a 410 for the page is the solution.
However, you need to consider those mentioned above – If you are removing the page and have a page that could serve as a substitute for the content – This would be for if you are removing a page because you have multiple pages covering the same subject matter, you could be better serving a 301 redirect, rather than a 410 status.
How to fix a 410 status code
A 410 status indicates that the resource is no longer available and has been removed permanently.
However, in the instance that the 410 error was incorrectly implemented, you can take several steps to try to reinstate the page;
Remove any request for the 410 for the address or URL in question: Generally, 410 requests are submitted through plugins or native CMS functions. To reinstate a page, you will need to remove these requests for the server to stop serving a 410 status code.
Reinstate high-quality content: Simply removing the 410 will not guarantee your page to reindex and crawl… High-quality, engaging content is still required.
Request a crawl & index in search console: Resubmitting the page to be crawled within search console will give indication to Google that you wish for the page to be recrawled and indexed.
Does a 410 affect SEO?
Yes, 410 status codes affect SEO as they indicate that the resource has been removed.
When crawlers encounter a 410, they remove the URL from their indexing and subsequently remove any related page rankings, along with breaking links that point at the resource.
This can have a dramatic effect on your SEO, and an experienced SEO professional should handle 410 requests to ensure the implementation is the proper response to be serving in each instance.
