Should you opt for a 410 code instead of a 404 to speed up deindexing?

What’s the technical difference between a 404 and a 410?

The 404 code indicates that a resource is not found at that particular moment. It does not imply anything about its future status — the page might come back tomorrow, in a month, or never. Google treats it as a potential temporary absence and keeps the URL indexed for some time before purging it permanently.

The 410 code explicitly signals that the resource has been permanently deleted and will not return. This is a definitive signal sent to the search engine: no need to crawl this URL again, it no longer exists in the site's architecture.

How does Google handle these two codes in practice?

According to John Mueller, Google does indeed accelerate the deindexing of 410s compared to 404s. The crawler understands that it can remove the URL from the index without waiting to check if it will reappear. For a 404, Google maintains the URL for a few extra weeks before concluding that it should be permanently deleted.

But — and this is crucial — Mueller specifies that the difference is often minimal. We are not talking about days versus months, but rather a few weeks of difference in the best cases. The gain is not spectacular in practice.

In what contexts does this nuance make sense?

The distinction between 404 and 410 becomes important when managing large product catalogs (e-commerce with references taken off the market), temporary content (past events, expired offers), or complex migrations. Properly signaling that a page will never return prevents Google from crawling it unnecessarily for weeks.

For a classic editorial website or a blog, the difference is negligible. Natural 404s (link errors, old URLs) deindex correctly without intervention. The 410 remains more of a signal of cleanliness than a strategic lever.

• 404 signals an absence without prejudging its duration (temporary or permanent)
• 410 explicitly indicates a permanent and irreversible deletion
• Google accelerates the deindexing of 410s, but the gap remains modest in practice
• Useful mainly on sites with high content turnover (e-commerce, classified ads, events)
• Never compensates for poor management of redirects or internal linking

Is this statement consistent with field observations?

Yes, overall. Tests conducted on e-commerce sites show that a well-implemented 410 indeed exits the index faster than a 404 — but we're talking about a 10 to 20-day gap at best, not a revolution. Google crawls URLs with a 410 less frequently right from the first pass, while it checks 404s several times before concluding.

The problem is that many sites do not manage these codes properly. We often see CMS that return 200 with a "page not found" message in the content, or poorly configured servers alternating between 404 and 500. In these cases, the 404/410 distinction is strictly useless — HTTP chaos prevails.

What nuances should be added to this statement?

Mueller mentions a "often minimal" difference, and that's the central point. If your site generates 50,000 URLs for obsolete products per month, using a clean 410 can lighten the crawl budget and speed up deindexing by a few weeks. But for 90% of sites, it changes nothing day-to-day.

Another nuance: a 410 does not exempt you from cleaning your internal linking. If 200 pages still point to a 410 URL, Google will continue to crawl it to check the links, negating any gains. The HTTP code alone is never enough — overall consistency is what matters.

[To verify]: Google has never published quantitative data on the speed difference between 404 and 410. The "few weeks" are field estimates, not official metrics. It's impossible to guarantee a precise timing.

In what cases does this rule not apply?

If you use a 410 by mistake on a temporarily unavailable page (maintenance, server issue), Google will quickly deindex it — and you will lose traffic. The 410 is not easily reversible: once the URL has exited the index, reindexing it takes time and sometimes requires a manual submission via Search Console.

Similarly, on sites with low crawl budget (small recent sites, low-authority domains), Google rarely crawls anyway. Whether the URL is a 404 or 410, it will be crawled every 2-3 months regardless. The gain becomes theoretical.

What actions should be taken on an existing site?

Start by auditing the HTTP codes currently returned by your site. Use Screaming Frog, Oncrawl, or directly Search Console to identify existing 404s. If some correspond to permanently deleted content (removed products, old offers, outdated content), switch them to 410.

For moved or merged content, do not change anything: keep your 301s. The 410 only applies to pages without equivalent, alternative, or definitively dead content. If you're in doubt, stick to 404 — it’s less risky than a misapplied 410.

How to properly implement a 410?

On the technical side, the web server must return the correct HTTP header. On Apache, configure a RewriteRule or a specific ErrorDocument. On Nginx, use a return 410 directive. For CMS (WordPress, Shopify, Magento), look for a dedicated plugin or module — many return 404s by default even for content manually deleted.

Then ensure that the page content accurately reflects its status. A 410 page can display an explicit message ("This product is no longer available"), but the main thing remains the HTTP header. Google does not read the content to determine the status — it relies on the returned code.

What mistakes to avoid when migrating to 410?

Never switch a URL to a 410 if it still receives significant organic traffic or quality backlinks. Even if the content is outdated, it's better to redirect to a similar page or update the existing content. Losing qualified traffic to gain 10 days of deindexing makes no sense.

Avoid also mixing 404 and 410 randomly. Define a clear policy: 404 for errors (typos in URLs, pages that never existed), 410 for voluntary and permanent deletions. Consistency helps Google understand the site’s structure.

• Audit current 404s and identify those that should be 410s (permanently deleted content)
• Configure the server to return the correct HTTP codes (Apache, Nginx, CMS)
• Verify that 410 pages no longer receive internal links (clean linking)
• Monitor Search Console to track effective deindexing ("Coverage" section)
• Never use a 410 on a page with traffic/backlinks without an alternative redirect
• Document the 404/410 policy for the editorial/product team