410 Gone

HTTP 410 Gone is a client error status meaning the target resource is no longer available at the origin server and this condition is likely permanent. Unlike 404, it states that the removal was deliberate.

Why it matters

A 404 leaves it open whether the page might return, so crawlers keep retrying it for a while. A 410 is a stronger hint that the URL is intentionally dead. Search engines have said they may treat 404 and 410 similarly in practice, with 410 sometimes dropped slightly faster, so do not expect dramatic differences. It is most useful for discontinued products, expired listings and cleaned-up spam URLs that have no sensible redirect target.

Example

In nginx:

location = /old-promo { return 410; }

In an Apache .htaccess file:

Redirect gone /old-promo

Check the result with the status checker to confirm that the code arrives as 410, not as a 200 error page or a redirect to the homepage.

Common mistakes

• Redirecting all removed pages to the homepage. Search engines may treat that as a soft 404.
• Using 410 for pages that may come back, since the signal is meant to be permanent.
• Forgetting a helpful custom error page for the people who still land there.

Related

• 404 page
• Soft 404
• Client error 4xx
• Tool: HTTP status checker

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