410 Gone
01 Definition
410 Gone meaning: An HTTP status meaning a page has been permanently removed and will not return.
410 Gone is the HTTP status code that says a resource has been intentionally and permanently removed. It signals a stronger sense of finality than 404, which only means not found now. Search engines may drop 410 URLs from the index slightly faster, though both eventually get removed.
Also called
Why it matters
How 410 Gone fits the work
Using 410 for content you have deliberately deleted tells search engines the removal is permanent, which can help clear those URLs from the index a bit sooner.
In context
When the company retired an entire event section, it served 410 Gone on those URLs to signal the pages were permanently removed, not just temporarily missing.
Practical note
Only use 410 when you truly want a URL gone for good, since it discourages re-crawling. In practice Google treats 404 and 410 very similarly, so the difference is minor.