Myth: delete out-of-stock products with a 404

Myth: delete out-of-stock products with a 404

'Q: This product is discontinued forever. I should just 404 it, right?'

Short answer: Usually no — a permanently dead product earns rankings and links you shouldn't throw in the trash.

The longer version: the knee-jerk "404 it" advice ignores that the page may rank for valuable queries and hold backlinks. If the item is gone for good, 301 to the closest replacement or the parent category — that recovers the link value and sends users somewhere useful. If it's coming back, keep the page live (HTTP 200), show "out of stock," and offer a back-in-stock signup or alternatives. Only use 404/410 when there's genuinely no relevant destination.

The difference between 404 and 410: 410 says "gone permanently" and gets dropped from the index a bit faster. Use 410 only when you truly want it erased.

Rule of thumb: 301 if there's a relevant home for the traffic, 200 if it's returning, 404/410 only as a last resort.

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