December 30, 2022

Deleting Out-of-Stock Products: Friend or Foe for Your Website?

Deleting product pages that are no longer for sale is a common practice on many websites, but the question remains: is it a good or bad idea? Let's delve into the two sides of the coin, considering both business and SEO perspectives.

From a business standpoint, removing out-of-stock products makes perfect sense. Seeing unavailable items can be frustrating for users, wasting their time and leaving them unable to purchase. Keeping such pages online only adds to this negative experience.

However, SEO paints a different picture. Those out-of-stock pages may still attract valuable organic traffic, bringing potential customers to your website. Additionally, they can hold informative product details that users might want to compare or read, even if they can't currently buy the item.

If deletion is absolutely necessary, it's crucial to have a clear plan for handling the resulting 404 pages. This is where SEO takes center stage. Implementing 301 or 302 redirects to relevant pages is essential to maintain SEO benefits and avoid confusing users with broken links.

Based on my experience, I've observed three times that deleting products can lead to significant SEO losses. The less content you have on your website, the fewer keywords you'll target.

Therefore, before resorting to deletion, explore alternative solutions that enhance the user experience while preserving SEO value. Consider using "coming soon" banners for temporarily unavailable items or showcasing similar products to encourage exploration and potential purchases. Remember, deletion isn't always the best answer; a creative approach can often yield better results for both your business and your website's performance.