What's best for SEO: archiving or deleting out-of-stock products?

[Polly3553]

Hello! Question, when a product is out of stock for a while and it seems it is not coming back (I have about 50 out-of-stcok items), do you delete it or archive it in shopify? What are the best practices for SEO? I wonder if having out-of-stock products archived, it is basically still stored on your website, which may eventually start slowing down the website speed. And if you delete a product that means you delete the URL, keywords, etc SEO juices. Any feedback is appreciated.

[Elias]

Hey, @Polly3553.

This is Elias from Shopify Support. I'd be happy to lend a hand with this!

When archiving a product, the product will be hidden from all the sales channels and this does not impact the URL or SEO. If there's any possibility of restocking the product at a later date, then archiving would be recommended as it allows you to easily bring the product back. However, if the product isn't coming back, then you can delete the product from your admin. While having less products may help improve the loading speed for certain processes, such as using the bulk editor. Nevertheless, it may not have as much of an impact to the online store as compared to having too many unnecessary apps installed.  

Is the products discontinued by your supplier? Is it possible to find other suppliers that offer the same products?

[Polly3553]

Thank you, Elias, I received the answer to my question! 

[Xosarajayne]

Hi Elias, 

I know this answer is old but hoping you’re still available for help. I had this same question, as a boutique owner, of what should I do with items that are sold out that I am not restocking. If I completely delete the item, will this delete the memory of the items (sales, profit, etc) for the end of the year? Or does it save all of that because it goes by the invoices? 

does this make sense? 
Thanks! 

[Elias]

Hi, @Xosarajayne.

Thank you for joining the thread and posting this question!

If you completely delete an item, then the item will no longer display as a link and redirect you to the product page on past orders. However, the item will remain on the reports and orders, so it shouldn't affect any of your accounting tasks at the end of the year.

Here's what a deleted item looks like on an order and on the reports:

If you'd like an alternative to deleting a product, then you can also consider archiving the product. When you archive a product, it will no longer appear on the online store and the product will be moved into the Archived tab on the Products page. This way, the product won't be in the way when you manage existing products and it's handy for bringing back the product at a later time.

That being said, it's awesome to hear that you're running a boutique store using Shopify. I'd love to hear more about your business! How are you finding the Shopify platform so far? Do you run any ad campaigns or have a marketing plan for your store?

[Xosarajayne]

Hi! Thanks for the reply. Yes I’ve had it about 4 years but have always just archived the item out of fear that deleting them would mess up reports so this is very good to know!!

[Malpil]

HI Elias, I too had a similar question. Just to confirm - if I am to permanently delete archived products, will I still be able to pull historical analytics on those products? 

[Elias]

Hi, @Malpil.

Thank you for joining the thread!

If you delete an archived product, then the historical analytics will still be available. However, as the product no longer exists, then the difference is that you wouldn't be able to click into the product from the reports. 

As an example, this is a screenshot from my test store using the Sales by product report (year to date) and the DVD product has already been deleted. While you can still see the product on the first page of this report and it's clickable - after clicking into the line item, it shows that the product or specific variant isn't clickable anymore as it's unable to redirect you to the product/variant in the the Shopify admin.

That being said, I'd only recommend deleting the product if this is something that you won't be carrying in your store anymore. Otherwise, it's always good to archive it so you can bring the product back into your store. 

I hope this helps! If you have any other questions on this topic, don't hesitate to let me know!

[Mae682]

@Elias when I archive a product it removes it from the online store but it keeps it in my product page. They're always in the way when trying to manage inventory and such. Should they not be there? I don't to delete products either but I'm so tired of them getting in the way of updating current items. 

[JunebugJewelry]

Hi Elias. I have a store on Shopify that carries one-of-a-kind and limited-edition items. If I archive the products when they are sold, what page will people land on if they happen to click a link for the archived product (perhaps from an old email or social media post)? Thanks!

[Elias]

Hi, @JunebugJewelry.

Thanks for joining the thread!

If you archive, delete, or revert a product back to draft status, then the customer-facing product page won't be accessible by the customers and, depending on your theme, they could land on an error page or a page that indicates the address no longer exists. Since your products are one-of-a-kind or limited editions, then you can create URL redirects for the old links and bring the customers back to your homepage or to an alternate product page.

I'd love to hear more about your business and share some resources to help you get started. Can you tell me more about your products? Do you have a marketing plan prepared for your store?

[Polly3553]

Nice, thank you for the tip about 301. I will check the app too, so far i've been pushing down out-of-stock items manually. 

[Elias]

Hey, @Polly3553 & @Talktohenryj.

Thank you for following up and sharing a different perspective!

Hiding or archiving a product is sufficient for the most part, as the 404 would only appear if a customer happens to have bookmarked or searched for one of your discontinued products. Nevertheless, this wouldn't happen if customers are simply searching for your shop on Google or searching for products in your online store.

Alternatively, if you are concerned about the discontinued products leading to a 404 page, then you can also consider setting up URL redirects. URL redirects will allow you to point the URL for a discontinued product back to your homepage, which is similar to what most of these suggested apps would do. However, a better use of the URL redirects is that you can use it to point a discontinued product to an alternate product that is still available in your shop.

If you have any other questions on this topic, don't hesitate to let me know!