How to Handle Expired Job Listings in Webflow Without SEO Issues

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1

Hi guys,

I run a job board & frequently delete expired job listings. However, I want to ensure that I properly handle these deletions for SEO. Since Webflow doesn’t support 410 Gone or Noindex, what’s the best way to:

  • Prevent broken links when jobs are removed?
  • Ensure Google removes expired jobs quickly?
  • Avoid too many 301 redirects?

Should I use Google’s Indexing API or Search Console’s Removal Tool (which is not permanent solution), or is there another Webflow-native solution?

Thanks!

Here is my site Read-Only: [LINK]

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Could you “archive” the jobs instead of deleting them? Meaning they would remain on the site, but are clearly marked/labeled as “Archived?”

And then you could feature new/related jobs on the page as well?

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THanks for the reply… 1 job = 1 CMS item… thats why i do not want to keep old postings

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4

For a larger-scale site the cleanest combo would be to use Duncan’s recommended approach plus a reverse proxy.

This separates the deletion into two layers;

Layer 1 is that it remains, for SEO benefit, shows a clear “no longer available” styling, and displays related listings for user value. This avoids any changes to the SERPs. This is the approach you’ll see most commonly- auction sites, even uber eats old restaurants they no longer serve.

Layer 2 is that when you want it delisted from SERPs, you have a reverse proxy return the 410 to accelerate removal. Two ways to do this-

  • Delete, archive or otherwise unpublish the listing. The RP will see the 404, and for /listings/* pages can return a 410 instead.
  • You could also detect a “no longer available” listing return that page normally but with a 410. This gives the best of both worlds- users get content, as long as you want, but Google is told to de-index it ASAP. I’d leave it in that state for a few weeks, then outright delete it. Google will still get a 410 but with your regular 404 page rather than the expired listing.
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Thanks @memetican ..this is very helpfull… What I did: I deleted the pages, and now they return 404. After that, I added those URLs to Google Search Console’s Removals.

Now, Google will temporarily block the pages from indexing & crawling. After 6 months, when Google recrawls these pages, it will find a 404 and eventually stop crawling them permanently.

just for other’s help..this is what response i get from Google community: Best Practice for Removing Expired Job Listings - Google Search Central Community

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