404 Errors Killing Your SEO? The Fix for Out-of-Stock Products and Vanishing Traffic

Problem:

Fashion e-commerce sites often lose valuable search rankings and organic traffic when products go out of stock. Many clothing brands' pages return a 404 error for out-of-stock items, leading to Google deindexing these pages and causing significant drops in organic traffic.

Why It Matters:

Maintaining search visibility for popular products is crucial for sustaining traffic and sales, even when items are temporarily unavailable.

Solution:

We propose two strategies based on the product's future availability:

1. For products returning to stock:
   a. Keep the page live, clearly indicating "out of stock" status
   b. Implement a waitlist or back-in-stock notification system
   c. Remove out-of-stock products from collection pages
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2. For permanently discontinued products:
   a. 301 redirect to a relevant collection page

Preferred Approach:

We recommend option 1 for several reasons:

• Preserves SEO traffic and rankings
• Builds an email list of interested customers
• Increases potential for future sales
• Retains overall site traffic

Implementation:

For Shopify stores, consider these apps:

• Back-in-stock notifications: https://apps.shopify.com/preorder-back-in-stock / https://apps.shopify.com/back-in-stock
• Managing out-of-stock products in collections: https://apps.shopify.com/push-down-hide-out-of-stock

By implementing these strategies, fashion e-commerce sites can maintain their SEO value, improve customer experience, and maximize sales potential for out-of-stock items.

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