410 Gone - What It Means & How to Fix

Q: When should I use 410 instead of 404?

Use 410 Gone when you have intentionally and permanently removed a resource and it will never return. This tells search engines to remove the URL from their index faster. Use 404 Not Found when the resource might come back, was removed unintentionally, or when you simply don't know if the URL ever existed. If a replacement page exists, use a 301 redirect instead of either.

Q: Can I undo a 410 Gone response?

Yes, but it takes time. If you bring the resource back and start returning 200 OK, search engines will eventually re-index it. However, it may take longer to recover rankings compared to a page that was only 404'd, because 410 signals permanent removal. The page will need to be re-crawled, re-indexed, and rebuild its authority.

ⓘ Quick Definition

The target resource is no longer available at the server and no forwarding address is known. This is an intentional, permanent removal. Unlike a 404 Not Found, a 410 explicitly tells clients and search engines that the resource is gone forever and should be de-indexed.

⏰ When It Occurs

A 410 Gone is returned when a resource has been deliberately and permanently removed from the server. The server is confirming that it knows about the URL but has intentionally made it unavailable, with no intention of restoring it.

Common scenarios include discontinued products, expired promotions, deleted user accounts, removed blog posts due to legal or content policy reasons, and deprecated API endpoints. It's a stronger signal than 404 because it communicates intent.

⚠ Common Causes

Intentionally deleted content - Blog posts, products, or pages permanently removed by the site owner
Discontinued products or services - Product pages for items that are no longer sold or supported
Expired promotions or events - Campaign pages that served their purpose and won't return
Deprecated API endpoints - API versions or endpoints that have been sunset permanently
Legal takedown or compliance removal - Content removed due to DMCA, GDPR right to be forgotten, or court order
Account deletion - User profile pages removed after account deletion requests

Platform-Specific Notes:

Nginx Return 410 with: location /old-page { return 410; } in your server block.

Apache Use Redirect 410 /old-page or RewriteRule ^old-page$ - [G] in .htaccess. The [G] flag returns 410 Gone.

Cloudflare Configure 410 responses using Page Rules or Cloudflare Workers for specific URL patterns.

Node.js Return with res.status(410).json({ error: 'Gone', message: 'This resource has been permanently removed' }).

🛠 How to Fix

Confirm the removal is intentional - Verify the page was deliberately removed and shouldn't be a 301 redirect instead
Use 301 redirect if a replacement exists - If the content moved to a new URL, redirect there instead of returning 410
Update internal links - Remove or update all links on your site that point to the gone resource
Remove from XML sitemap - Delete the URL from your sitemap so search engines stop crawling it
Use Google URL Removal tool - Request expedited removal from Google's index via Search Console
Notify external link sources - Contact sites linking to the removed page to update their links where possible

💻 HTTP Example

# Request for a permanently removed page
GET /products/discontinued-widget HTTP/1.1
Host: example.com
Accept: text/html

# Server Response
HTTP/1.1 410 Gone
Content-Type: text/html; charset=UTF-8
Cache-Control: public, max-age=86400

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
  <body>
    <h1>This page has been permanently removed</h1>
    <p>The product you're looking for is no longer available.</p>
  </body>
</html>

🔗 Related Status Codes

Frequently Asked Questions

When should I use 410 instead of 404? +

Use 410 Gone when you have intentionally and permanently removed a resource and it will never return. This tells search engines to de-index the URL faster. Use 404 Not Found when the resource might come back, was removed accidentally, or when you don't know if the URL ever existed. If a replacement page exists at a different URL, use a 301 redirect instead of either 404 or 410.

Does 410 affect SEO differently than 404? +

Yes. Google treats 410 as a stronger signal of permanent removal. With a 410, Google will typically remove the page from its index faster - often within days. With a 404, Google may continue to re-crawl the URL periodically for weeks or months to check if the page returns. If you want content quickly de-indexed (e.g., sensitive information, legal compliance), 410 is the better choice.

Can I undo a 410 Gone response? +

Yes, but recovery takes time. If you restore the resource and start returning 200 OK, search engines will eventually re-crawl and re-index it. However, it may take longer to recover rankings compared to a page that was only 404'd, because 410 signals permanent removal and search engines act on it more aggressively. The page will need to rebuild its authority from scratch.

Gone