Understanding 410 redirection in 10 points

Through our SEO Agency Optimize 360.

What is a Redirect 410?

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In the world of the web, it is essential to manage errors properly in order to offer the best possible service. user experience optimal.

One of the most common errors is the 410 redirect.

In this article, we'll explain what this error is and how it works in detail.

We will also look at the possible causes of such a situation and how to resolve it to ensure that your website is properly referenced.

1. What is a 410 redirect?

A redirection 410also known as "Gone" in English, indicates that a resource which was previously available on a website no longer exists and will not be restored. This means that the URL requested by a user is no longer valid and that no alternative is proposed.

2. 410 redirection vs. 404 error

410 redirection is often compared to the404 errorwhich also indicates that a resource cannot be found. However, the main difference between these two errors lies in the way they are handled by search engines:

• Error 410 clearly indicates that the resource has been voluntarily and definitively removed. Search engines are therefore informed that they must remove this URL their index quickly.
• On the contrary, the 404 error may be temporary and simply indicate a resource that is temporarily unavailable. Search engines will continue to check this URL regularly to see if the page comes back online.

3. How a 410 redirect works

The 410 redirect is generally set up by website administrators or developers to indicate to search engines that certain pages have been voluntarily removed. To do this, they add a HTTP code 410 in the server's .htaccess file or directly in the source code of the page concerned. This code allows search engines to quickly detect the state of the resource and adjust their indexing accordingly.

4. Possible causes of a 410 redirect

There are several reasons for setting up a 410 redirect:

• A major overhaul of the website, with some pages no longer relevant or topical.
• When a product is no longer available on a site e-commerce and there is no equivalent to offer.
• This change in editorial policy means that certain categories of content will no longer be available.

5. How do I resolve a 410 redirect?

In some cases, a 410 redirect may be set up by mistake. If you wish to restore a resource, simply delete the HTTP code 410 file or your source code. Search engines will take this change into account when they index your site.

6. Impact on a site's SEO

A 410 redirect can have a negative impact on a site's SEO if it is poorly managed:

• Search engines will quickly remove the URLs concerned from their indexes, resulting in a reduction in online traffic and visibility.
• If several internal links point to these deleted pages, this may adversely affect the overall quality of the internal networking of the site.

7. Avoiding errors when setting up a 410 redirect

To avoid setting up a 410 redirect by mistake, it is important to check the changes made to the .htaccess file or the source code of your website:

• Check that you have modified the right file or line of code.
• Run regular tests to make sure that deleted resources are not still being accessed by mistake.

8. Use tools to detect errors 410

There are a number of online tools that make it easy to detect 410 errors on your website. Some crawlers, such as Screaming Frog or Semrushcan help you to quickly spot URLs returning a 410 error. They will then enable you to take appropriate action to correct these errors.

9. Redirect users to an alternative page

Even if the 410 redirect indicates that the resource is no longer available, you can still direct users to an alternative page to minimise their frustration:

• Suggest content that is similar or complementary to that of the deleted page.
• Redirect them to the home page of your site, or to a page containing information that might interest them.

10. Communicating page deletions

To avoid confusing your visitors when pages are deleted, it can be useful to clearly inform users about these changes:

• Inform your community on social networks or by e-mail. newsletter changes made to your site.
• Feel free to add an explanatory note in the meta tag description of the page concerned, to display a personalised message in the search results.

In short, 410 redirection is a useful mechanism for managing the removal of resources from a website and informing search engines such as Google of this situation.

To get the most out of it, it is essential to understand how it works, to put in place alternative solutions for users and to monitor your site regularly for errors.