E-commerce SEO
What to Do With a Discontinued Product Page
Keep the page if the product may return or other variants are still available. Redirect it only to a clear replacement. If the product is permanently discontinued, has no suitable replacement and the page is no longer useful to shoppers, remove it with a 404 or 410 response.
When a product is discontinued, first find out whether it may return and whether your shop has a suitable replacement. Keep the page if the product may be restocked or other variants are still available. Redirect the URL if there is a clear successor. If the product is permanently discontinued, has no suitable replacement and the page no longer offers useful information to shoppers, remove it with a 404 or 410 response.
The decision should reflect the product’s actual status and give shoppers a useful next step. None of these options guarantees that a URL will keep its rankings or that a replacement page will perform better.
Check the product and page before changing the URL
Ask the person responsible for the catalogue whether the item is temporarily unavailable, expected back or permanently discontinued. “Out of stock” does not always mean that the product will never be sold again: a delivery delay or seasonal break may be temporary. Then check which variants are still available and what the page offers shoppers.
- Stock plans: Is the product expected back? Is there a confirmed restock date?
- Replacement: Is there another product with the same purpose that meets the buyer’s important requirements?
- Variants: Can shoppers still buy another size, colour or configuration from this page?
- Page activity: Does it receive visits, sales or other useful actions in the analytics data available to you? Check that the data covers a relevant period and is configured correctly.
- Links: Do category pages, recommendations or external sites link to this URL?
Visits and links help you understand a page’s role, but they do not settle the decision on their own. If you keep the page, show the product’s current status clearly and do not imply that an unavailable item can be ordered.
Choose an action for each product URL
| Product situation | Action for the URL | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| The product is temporarily unavailable or may return | Keep the page and update its status | Stock information, any confirmed restock date and useful alternatives |
| The product is permanently discontinued and has a clear successor | Set up a permanent redirect to the successor’s page | Whether the replacement serves the same purpose and meets important buyer requirements |
| The product is permanently discontinued, has no suitable replacement and the page no longer provides useful information | Remove the page and return 404 or 410 | Internal links, sitemap entries and the server response |
| Only one product variant is unavailable | Keep the page if shoppers can still buy other variants | Whether selecting an available option and placing an order both work |
Use this as a catalogue decision aid, not as a traffic forecast. If you do not know whether the product will return, confirm its status before changing the URL.
Keep the page if the product may return
Keep the page available if your shop expects to sell the item again or its stock status may change. Show shoppers whether it is currently available. Give a restock date only if it is confirmed; if the timing is uncertain, do not promise one.
You can offer a back-in-stock notification or show alternatives if your shop supports those options and they help the shopper. If other sizes, colours or configurations are available, make sure visitors can select and buy them on the same page.
For Google Search, a successful 2xx response means that Google can consider the page for processing, but it does not guarantee indexing. See Google’s documentation on how HTTP status codes affect crawling and Search.
Redirect only to a clear replacement
Set up a permanent redirect if the old product is no longer sold and your shop has a clear successor. For example, the manufacturer may have replaced a model with a new version that serves the same purpose. Check the products’ intended use, important specifications and limitations before redirecting: the newer model may not suit every buyer of the old one.
Google recommends a permanent redirect when a page has moved or has a clear replacement. For Google, a permanent redirect is a strong signal that the destination should be processed. This is guidance for Google Search, not a promise of better rankings. Read Google’s explanation of 301 and 308 responses.
Do not choose a destination simply because it belongs to the same category. A general kitchenware page, for instance, may not help someone looking for a particular kettle. Send shoppers to a page where they can find a product that serves the same purpose.
Remove the page if there is no suitable replacement
If the product is permanently discontinued, there is no suitable replacement and the page no longer provides useful information, remove it and return a 404 (Not Found) or 410 (Gone) response. Do not leave a “product not found” message on a URL that returns 200 (OK): Google may treat a page that signals an error but returns a success status as a soft 404.
For Google Search, 404 and 410 are both 4xx responses. Google does not use the content of URLs that return these statuses; URLs that were already indexed are removed over time. Google’s documentation does not promise a ranking benefit from choosing 410 rather than 404. See Google’s guidance on HTTP status codes.
Google recommends returning 404 or 410 when removed content has no similar replacement, and using a permanent redirect when a page has moved or has a clear replacement. These recommendations apply to Google Search; do not assume that every search engine handles URLs in exactly the same way. See Google’s guide to troubleshooting crawling errors.
A custom error page can help visitors return to your catalogue. Make sure the server still returns 404 or 410 for a removed product URL, rather than 200.
Check the change after it goes live
- Check the HTTP response. A page you have kept should return a successful response; a redirected URL should lead to the chosen destination; a removed URL should return 404 or 410. Ask your developer to check the response or use a suitable HTTP-status tool.
- Open the redirect destination. Confirm that it loads and offers a relevant replacement, not an error or a general page without a useful alternative.
- Update internal links. Remove or replace links to the retired product in category pages, recommendations and other catalogue sections. Check that product listings and buttons do not still point to the old URL.
- Review the sitemap. Remove URLs that should no longer appear in Search. Google advises against including URLs in a sitemap when you do not want them shown in search results; see its crawling and sitemap guidance.
- Record the decision. Add the URL, action, reason and date to your catalogue change log. This helps your team avoid repeating or reversing the change during the next stock update.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Deleting every out-of-stock product. Find out whether the item may return before removing its page.
- Redirecting every retired product to the home page. The destination should offer shoppers a relevant next step.
- Showing an error message with a 200 response. Make the HTTP response reflect whether the page is available or has been removed.
- Choosing 410 to improve rankings. Use 404 or 410 to signal that content has been removed; Google does not document a ranking advantage for one over the other.
- Removing a page because one variant is unavailable. Check whether shoppers can still buy another variant.
If your shop has many discontinued products or you are unsure how their URLs relate to wider technical issues, list the affected pages and review them as part of an SEO audit. For products you still sell, see how to improve product descriptions for an online shop.
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