How to Tackle Out of Stock and Discontinued Product Pages for SEO
Is there anything more irritating than clicking through from Google to a product page, only to find that the item’s out of stock - or worse yet, vanished completely, leaving just an irritating 404 error page that says “sorry this page is unavailable”.
However, from an SEO perspective, that page still holds value. It might have built up backlinks, rank well for niche keywords, or drive steady traffic, so binning it without a second thought could seriously hurt your site’s visibility.
So, how should you handle out-of-stock or discontinued products on your e-commerce website, without sabotaging your search traffic?
Let’s examine how to keep your site user-friendly and helpful while protecting all that valuable organic traffic.
First things first: is it gone for now or gone for good?
Before you decide what to do with a product page, you need to know why the product’s no longer available.
Here are your three main scenarios:
Temporarily out of stock
You may be waiting on the next delivery or a supplier delay - it'll be back soon.Seasonally unavailable
Think advent calendars, sun loungers, or Halloween costumes – products that only make sense for part of the year.Permanently discontinued
The supplier’s packed up, or you've chosen to stop stocking it altogether.
The best approach depends on the type of entity you're dealing with, and getting it right can make all the difference to both your SEO and customer experience.
How to deal with temporarily out-of-stock items for SEO
This is the easiest situation to handle, and one where people often make unnecessary changes.
If you’re just waiting on a delivery or the product will be back in a week or two, do not delete the page or hide it from search engines. That’s a quick way to lose any rankings, backlinks, or traffic you’ve already built up.
Instead, keep the product page live and just be honest about the situation.
Here’s what to do:
Add a clear message
Let your visitors know that the product is coming back soon. A simple Back in stock soon” or “Expected delivery: mid-July” keeps the customer informed and builds trust. T
Offer a “notify me” option.
Let your shoppers leave their email address so that they’re the first to know when it’s available again. Not only does this keep people informed, but it’s a great way to grow your email list.
Suggest similar alternatives
In many cases, a similar product will do nicely, so add a section underneath with related products that are in stock. Don’t make a potential buyer go hunting around - serve up a few relevant swaps while you’ve still got their attention (but be absolutely sure not to show more out-of-stock products, as that is just annoying).
Use structured data correctly.
Ensure your availability schema is set to 'OutOfStock', so Google knows what’s happening. It won’t hurt your rankings, but it prevents users from seeing misleading information in search results.
Avoid removing it from your sitemap
While it may feel tidy to do so, don’t! Google still needs to find the page, and removing it from your sitemap can give the signal to Google that it’s gone for good.
Handled well, a temporary out-of-stock situation can still help you drive traffic and collect leads. Poorly managed, it’s more a case of losing a sale and your spot in search results.
How to deal with temporarily out-of-stock items for SEO
This is the easiest situation to handle, and one where people often make unnecessary changes.
If you’re just waiting on a delivery or the product will be back in a week or two, do not delete the page or hide it from search engines. That’s a quick way to lose any rankings, backlinks, or traffic you’ve already built up.
Instead, keep the product page live and just be honest about the situation.
Here’s what to do:
Add a clear message
Let your visitors know that the product is coming back soon. A simple Back in stock soon” or “Expected delivery: mid-July” keeps the customer informed and builds trust. T
Offer a “notify me” option.
Let your shoppers leave their email address so that they’re the first to know when it’s available again. Not only does this keep people informed, but it’s a great way to grow your email list.
Suggest similar alternatives
In many cases, a similar product will do nicely, so add a section underneath with related products that are in stock. Don’t make a potential buyer go hunting around - serve up a few relevant swaps while you’ve still got their attention (but be absolutely sure not to show more out-of-stock products, as that is just annoying).
Use structured data correctly.
Ensure your availability schema is set to 'OutOfStock', so Google knows what’s happening. It won’t hurt your rankings, but it prevents users from seeing misleading information in search results.
Avoid removing it from your siteamp
While it may feel tidy to do so, don’t! Google still needs to find the page, and removing it from your sitemap can give the signal to Google that it’s gone for good.
Handled well, a temporary out-of-stock situation can still help you drive traffic and collect leads. Poorly managed, it’s more a case of losing a sale and your spot in search results.
Seasonal Products - How to handle for SEO
When you have seasonal products, you have to play the long game.
Suppose you have a product or category that’s not available all year round. For example, you may only sell it at Christmas, in the summer, or when a new collection is released - you don’t want to delete the page. Seasonal products can build up strong rankings over time, and every year you start from scratch, you’re making it harder for Google to trust your site.
So instead of hiding or removing it, here’s what to do:
Keep the page live all year
Even if you’re not selling right now, keeping the page visible keeps in search equity. Just make sure to update the copy to clearly indicate that it’s currently unavailable, as no one likes a dead end.
Create demand
Add a message like “coming back in (Month)”. This sets expectations and can help to build excitement. Something like this product is taking a break but will be back in stock this October” is enough to create interest.
Encourage signups or wishlists.
Again, let people register their interest so that you can email that as soon as it’s back. This not only keeps them engaged but gives you a nice warm list of leads when the season rolls around again.
Temporarily hide it from on-site search or category pages
If you want to keep your store clean and avoid people stumbling across unavailable products, you can hide them from internal search or filters, but keep the page live for SEO purposes.
What about seasonal category pages?
Got a Christmas Shop or Back to School section you only use for part of the year? Don’t delete those either.
It’s sort of the same deal…
Keep the page live year-round, but mark it as “Coming soon” or update the messaging to reflect the time of year.
Include helpful copy like: “Our 2025 Christmas Shop will be opening in October – sign up to be the first to know!”
Use it to capture email signups or showcase previous bestsellers.
Add internal links to evergreen products that remain relevant.
This way, you’re keeping the SEO juice flowing — and building anticipation before the new season even starts.
If the product is discontinued permanently
You may have decided to discontinue a product, or even an entire category - for example, you added pet clothing to your store, but now are back to just selling to humans.
This is where things get a little trickier, and you need to think more carefully about the type of traffic it’s likely to drive.
But you still have some options.
Option 1: Redirect the page
If there is a very similar product, you can use a 301 redirect ot send visitors (and search engines) to the closest match. You still retain some SEO value, and the site visitor may land somewhere useful if it’s a close match.
Option 2: Leave the page live (with context)
If the page ranks well or has good inbound links, you might want to consider leaving it live (but removing from site category pages and search, etc), with a message along the lines of “This product hs been discontinued – but we think you’ll love these similar options…” Then showcase a few related options.
Option 3: Consolidate into a broader guide or category
If you’re removing multiple similar products, consider turning the page into evergreen content, such as a guide or comparison piece. For example, if you sold trainers, consider turning it into a guide to “Best running shoes for 2025” instead.
What not to do:
Don’t delete the page without redirecting or replacing it
Don’t soft 404 it (leaving it live but empty or with noindex)
Don’t just say “out of stock” with no alternatives.
These options lead to a bad user experience, high bounce rates, and lost rankings.
Every product page holds SEO potential even after the product’s gone. With the right approach, you can turn out-of-stock or discontinued items into an opportunity to boost internal links, drive email signups, and keep customers (and Google) happy.
