A discontinued product is a customer-service problem before it is a status-code problem. Someone followed a link expecting a particular item. What can you honestly offer them now?
The original 2014 article compared this with visiting a hi-fi shop for a discontinued stereo. A helpful salesperson explains what happened and shows a suitable replacement. That is still a useful test for the website. The earlier blanket advice to use a 301 redirect for every discontinued item was too broad.
Choose the response that matches the product
Temporarily out of stock
A useful product page can stay available. Make its availability clear. Keep specifications, support information and relevant alternatives accessible. Do not imply that customers can order something they cannot buy.
Permanently replaced
Use a permanent redirect when there is a genuine successor that satisfies the original shopping intent. Check that the destination explains the replacement rather than silently promising the old model.
Gone with no useful replacement
Return a real 404 or 410. The page can still explain the situation and offer search, categories or support. Useful navigation does not require a false 200 status or a redirect to an unrelated homepage.
Still valuable for owners
Consider retaining a substantive page for manuals, compatibility information or support, with a clear discontinued notice. Decide from what users need, not simply whether the product can still be bought.
Fix the links you control
Remove dead product links from navigation, recommendations and promotional pages. Point links to retained pages or genuinely relevant alternatives. Audit redirects for loops and chains, and confirm that sitemaps contain the intended current URLs.
The goal is not a dashboard with no 404s. It is an honest response for every important journey. See when to use a 301 redirect and our conversion optimisation work.
A redirect is not the default for every discontinued item: use it for a relevant replacement. Google’s site-move guidance, checked 15 September 2026, warns against redirecting unrelated pages to one destination.