WEBSITE PLANNING

Choose the Correct Response for Retired Pages

Choose appropriate redirects or missing-page responses, then verify retired URLs and their replacements.

Make the content decision first

When a page is retired, identify whether a genuine replacement exists. Record its old purpose, any current customer use and the proposed destination. A discontinued service and a renamed service are different cases. Sending both to the homepage avoids an obvious error screen but can leave visitors unable to find the information the old link promised.

Match the response to the situation

A permanent move may call for a permanent redirect to the relevant replacement. A page that no longer exists and has no suitable substitute needs an appropriate missing-page response. Google’s documentation explains how its crawlers interpret HTTP status codes. A friendly error design should not silently return a normal success status for content that is absent.

Review a small mapping table

Use columns for old URL, current response, reason for change, replacement if any, intended response and verification result. For a hypothetical renamed service, check that the old address reaches the new service directly and that the destination answers the original question. For a removed offer, make the missing-page screen helpful with navigation without pretending the offer remains available.

Verify the entire path

Update internal references and sitemap entries alongside the routing decision. Check the HTTP response as well as the visible page because appearance alone cannot prove correct behavior. Record a rollback plan before bulk changes and sample external entry paths that customers actually use. Later search reports may still contain old addresses while Google reprocesses them; distinguish that lag from a failed release.

Reference and next step

Reference: Google HTTP status guidance. For help reviewing a specific implementation, send the affected website address and describe the task customers are trying to finish.