410 Gone

410 Gone is an HTTP status code that tells browsers and search engines a page has been deliberately and permanently removed, with no replacement. It is a more explicit version of a 404 Not Found, which only says the page cannot be found right now.

Written by Paul Hoda, SEO consultant since 2005. Last updated 8 November 2026.

410 versus 404

Both codes are client errors in the 4xx range of HTTP status codes, and both tell Google not to index the URL. The difference is intent:

  • A 404 error means the page is not there. It might be a typo, a broken link or a page that could come back.
  • A 410 means the page existed, has been removed on purpose and will not return.

Google has said it treats the two in almost the same way. A 410 may lead to a URL being dropped from the index slightly faster, but the difference is small. Googlebot may still revisit both kinds of URL occasionally, especially if links point to them.

When to use a 410

  • Removing low-quality or outdated content during content pruning, where no suitable replacement exists.
  • Discontinued products with no close alternative and no useful links or traffic.
  • Cleaning up spam pages created after a hack, so they leave the index quickly.
  • Removing auto-generated URLs that should never have existed, such as junk search or tag pages.

When not to use it

If a page has a relevant replacement, use a 301 redirect instead. This sends visitors somewhere useful and passes on the value of any backlinks. Avoid a 410 for pages that might return, such as seasonal products, and never use it for a page that is only temporarily unavailable.

How to set up a 410

  1. Decide which URLs are permanently gone and have no useful backlinks or traffic.
  2. Configure the server to return 410 for those URLs. On Apache this can be done in .htaccess; on Nginx with a return 410; rule; many WordPress redirect plugins also support it.
  3. Remove internal links pointing to the removed pages and take them out of your XML sitemap.
  4. Confirm the status with a header checker or the URL Inspection tool in Search Console.
  5. Watch the Page indexing report as the URLs drop out.

Common mistakes

  • Returning a 410 code but showing a page that looks normal, or showing a not found message with a 200 status, which creates a soft 404.
  • Mass 410ing pages that still earn links or traffic, losing value that a redirect would keep.
  • Expecting 410 to remove URLs instantly. It speeds up removal a little, but Google still has to recrawl each one.
  • Forgetting a helpful error page: users who land on a 410 still need navigation and search.

Key Takeaways

  • 410 Gone says a page was removed on purpose and will not return.
  • Google treats 410 and 404 very similarly, with 410 sometimes slightly faster.
  • Use a 301 redirect instead when a relevant replacement exists.
  • A 410 suits pruned content, hacked spam pages and junk URLs.
  • Remove internal links and sitemap entries for removed pages.

Related Terms

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