<b>Out-of-stock pages: it depends on whether it's coming back</b>

<b>Out-of-stock pages: it depends on whether it's coming back</b>

'Q: Should I 404 my out-of-stock product pages?'

<b>Short answer:</b> Only if the product is gone forever — temporary stockouts should stay live and return 200.

The longer version: the deciding factor is permanence. A product back in two weeks should never 404 — you'd throw away rankings and any links it earned, then have to rebuild from zero on return. Keep it 200, mark <code>availability: OutOfStock</code> in your product schema, and show alternatives or a restock signup.

A product discontinued forever is different. If there's a clear successor, 301 to it. If there's a relevant category, 301 there. Only 410/404 when nothing relevant exists.

What about seasonal items that vanish for months? Treat them as temporary — keep the URL, swap the message to 'back in spring,' and you hold equity through the off-season.

Rule of thumb: temporary = 200, replaceable = 301, truly dead = 410.

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