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E-Commerce SEO: Handling Out-of-Stock and Seasonal Products
KERVAN Team
January 8, 2026 5 min readDon't delete that product page! Learn how to manage inventory changes without losing SEO value. A guide for Shopify and Magento stores.
E-commerce sites are dynamic. Products come and go. The biggest mistake store owners make is deleting a page when a product goes out of stock. This creates a 404 error and destroys all the backlink value that page had accumulated.
The 3-Step Handling Process
- Temporary OOS: Keep the page 200 OK. Add a "Notify Me" button and recommend alternatives.
- Permanent Discontinue: 301 Redirect to the most relevant parent category or a newer version of the product.
- Seasonal Products: Keep the URL alive year-round (e.g., /black-friday), just update the content.
Status Codes for Products
| Status | HTTP Code | Action |
|---|---|---|
| Active | 200 OK | Optimize Schema |
| Removed | 404/410 | Avoid if possible |
| Moved | 301 | Pass Link Juice |
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Category: Technical