How to handle old keywords ranking for discontinued products?

[taylorthomas]

I have a few pages that are ranking for a keyword and still gaining a decent amount of traffic but the keyword is for a discontinued product that isn't available anymore. What should I do about this? Do I update the page to include the replaced products, redirect the page to the replacement collection page, or just keep it as is?

[OneMobile]

Hi @taylorthomas 

You shouldn't keep the page as it is. Instead, we advise you to create a redirect or update the page information.

Solution 1: Redirect it

You can create a 301 redirect, pointing the discontinued product page to a similar or replacement product. This helps retain the SEO value from the old product page and guides users toward a product they might be interested in.

Solution 2: Update the page

• Consider updating the page to clearly indicate that the product has been discontinued. Include information about similar, updated, or alternative products your customers might be interested in. Link these alternatives directly on the page.
• Keep the page live as an archival page (your customers cannot access it when browsing your store). Clearly mark the item as discontinued and unavailable for purchase but maintain the product description, reviews, and any other relevant info. This can still be useful for technical details, user manuals, or past customer reviews.
• Also, you can use this page to capture leads by informing visitors that the product is discontinued and offering them a sign-up option to get notifications about future availability or similar items.

The choice depends on you. However, personally, I suggest the second option because:

• By updating the page, users still landing on it through search engines will not experience any broken link or confusion. You empower them with the information that the product is discontinued, but at the same time, provide them with alternatives.
• The page already has a decent amount of SEO value, as it is ranking well. If redirected, some of that value might be lost.
• If you provide information and links to relevant alternative products, you also stand a chance to rank for new keywords related to them.

I hope that this helps!