HTTP Status Codes

410 Gone

The resource is permanently gone and no forwarding address exists. A deliberate, stronger signal than 404 that tells crawlers to deindex faster.

What it means

410 Gone states that the resource once existed but has been intentionally and permanently removed. Unlike 404 (which is non-committal about permanence), 410 invites clients and search engines to purge references to the URL.

SEO impact

410 deindexes faster

For content you have deliberately retired with no replacement, 410 signals permanence and typically prompts quicker removal from the index than a 404.

Why it matters

  • It speeds removal of retired URLs from search indexes and client caches.
  • It communicates intent — the absence is permanent, not a glitch.

Common mistakes

  • Using 410 for content that might return; use 404 when permanence is uncertain.
  • 410-ing pages that have a natural replacement instead of 301-redirecting them.

How WebInspect checks this

  • WebInspect reports whether a removed URL returns 404 or 410 and flags redirect-vs-gone decisions.