Delete or redirect an old page: 301, 404 or 410

Redirect with a 301 only when a close equivalent exists. Same intent, same usefulness. For example, redirect "/guides/import-csv" to "/guides/data-import" if that page now covers CSV import fully.

If no equivalent exists, delete the URL and return 410 or 404. Google treats both as gone, 410 a little faster as of 2026. Leave the URL out of the sitemap and remove internal links.

• Clicks and impressions: in Search Console, Performance, Pages. Compare the last three months to the previous three months. For seasonal sites, compare to the same period a year before.
• Queries: open each falling page, read the queries. If impressions fell, demand fell. If impressions held but average position worsened, the page fell.
• Links: in Search Console, Links, External links by top linked pages. A page with good links is a redirect candidate if an equivalent exists.
• Internal links: search your site for links to the URL. If you delete it, you need to remove or retarget those links.
• Sitemap: check the Search Console Sitemaps report. A page you delete should not be listed there.
• Purpose: ask what the page is for. If it still matches a user’s need, refresh it. If it duplicates another page, merge and 301. If it serves no need, remove it.

You are looking for content decay, not a one week dip. Decay is a steady loss of clicks and impressions while the rest of the site holds. Causes include fresher rivals, a new result feature taking the click, or stale facts, dates or screenshots.

Decide per URL. Keep and refresh when the page still wins searches with updated facts. Merge when two pages answer one intent and neither does well. Delete when a page has no clicks, no impressions, no links and no purpose for a year.

• 301 Redirect: use when there is a clear, close equivalent. Example: fold "/blog/best-crm-2024" into "/blog/best-crm" after a refresh, keep the stronger URL and 301 the dated one.
• 404 Not Found: use when a page is gone and has no replacement. Example: "/changelog/v1.2.3" for a release you no longer keep public, with no summary page.
• 410 Gone: use when you want to state the page is permanently removed. Example: "/careers/qa-intern-2019" after the role closed years ago with no archive.

Both 404 and 410 drop from the index. 410 is usually processed a little faster. A 301 is followed, the target can inherit signals over time if it truly matches the old intent.

• 301 Redirect: Google crawls the source, follows the 301, and consolidates over time if the destination is equivalent. Expect the old URL to move to Page with redirect in Search Console. Avoid chains and loops to speed this up.
• 404 Not Found: Google continues to recrawl a few times. If the 404 persists, the URL drops from the index. It may appear under Not found in Search Console’s Indexing reports.
• 410 Gone: Google treats it as permanently removed and tends to drop it a little faster than 404 as of 2026. It should not be in your sitemap.
• Soft 404: a page that looks thin or irrelevant to its request. A 301 to the home page, or a near-empty template, can trigger this. In Search Console you may see Soft 404 under indexing issues.
• Removals Tool: temporary suppression in results. It does not change crawling or indexing state. Use it only when you need a fast hide, and still return 404, 410 or 301 on the URL.

1. 1

   Export a content audit

   List every indexable URL. Add 12 months of clicks and impressions, inbound links, last updated date, and the page’s purpose. One row per URL.

2. 2

   Find risers and fallers

   In Search Console, Performance, Pages. Compare the last three months to the previous three months. Sort by click difference.

3. 3

   Diagnose decay vs demand drop

   Read the queries on each falling page. If the query’s impressions fell, demand fell, keep and monitor. If impressions held but position worsened, refresh or merge.

4. 4

   Decide keep, refresh, merge, redirect or remove

   Keep if it still serves the query and earns clicks. Refresh when facts are stale but intent still fits. Merge when two overlap on one intent. Redirect only when an equivalent exists. Remove with 410 or 404 when no purpose remains.

5. 5

   Implement and tidy

   Ship the 301 or the 404 or 410. Update internal links. Update or regenerate the XML sitemap. Remove the URL from navigation and hubs if deleted.

6. 6

   Monitor outcomes next quarter

   Judge your decisions on the next 28 days and the next quarter. Look for fewer soft 404s, fewer orphan links, stronger pages consolidating clicks.

A fixed site often shows fewer low-value URLs, fewer crawl errors, and stronger remaining pages. For example, clicks on "/guides/data-import" rise after you merge and redirect "/guides/import-csv" and "/guides/import-xml" into it, because all links now point to one canonical answer.

• Return the right HTTP status at the URL. Do not rely on JavaScript to fake a redirect. Make it server side or at the edge.
• Avoid redirect chains. One hop only: old URL to new URL. Fix legacy maps that go through "/old" then "/older" then "/new".
• Keep parameters and trailing slashes consistent. If the canonical URL ends with a slash, redirect old variants to that format.
• Match intent closely for 301s. If "/blog/best-crm-2023" becomes evergreen, the target "/blog/best-crm" must cover the same terms and queries.
• Remove deleted URLs from your XML sitemap. Only indexable, 200-status URLs belong there.
• Update internal links. Replace links to the old URL with the target URL, not a reliance on the redirect.
• Check Search Console: Page with redirect, Not found, and Soft 404 after shipping changes. Use the URL Inspection tool on samples to see the live status.

If the page still matches a live query, refresh it. Keep the same URL. Update facts, prices, screenshots and examples. Rewrite sections that no longer match the intent. Fix dead links. Revise the title to match what the results page now shows. Update dateModified when you make a significant change. Show a visible date on the page and keep datePublished accurate.

A refresh is not a new URL and not a rewrite from scratch. You republish on the same address. That keeps whatever the page already earned. For example, "/guides/getting-started" keeps its path while you replace old UI shots and add answers that now appear in People also ask.

Merge when two pages rank on the same queries with neither doing well, or when they answer one user intent. Keep the URL with more links and clicks. Fold in what the other had that was better. Redirect the other with a 301.

Example: "/pricing/enterprise" and "/pricing/teams" both rank for "yourproduct pricing tiers" without clicks. Keep "/pricing" as the canonical tiers page. Move the unique enterprise content into "/pricing". 301 the two narrow pages to "/pricing". Update the sitemap and internal links from the header and footer.

• Redirecting everything to the home page: this is a soft 404 pattern. Map each old URL to a specific, relevant target or delete it.
• Keeping deleted URLs in the sitemap: this tells crawlers to fetch what no longer exists. Remove them on the same day you ship the 404 or 410.
• Leaving orphan internal links: they become broken links and waste crawl. Search your templates, nav, body copy and blog posts for references.
• Deleting pages reacting to one bad month: confirm decay in Search Console. Use a three month to three month view to smooth noise.
• Changing dates without a real update: Google discourages this. Update dates only when you make a significant change that a reader would notice.
• Holding on to thin page families: low quality clusters can affect how the site is assessed. Prune based on data, not on a hunch, and ship better remaining pages.