Dead URL table
Site: https://www.copperkettle.example. Data: Ahrefs Best by links, 404 filter, 2026-10-28. min_ref_domains: 2 (from your input).
| Row | Dead path | Status | Referring domains | Topic clue, quoted | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| D1 | /products/cast-iron-skillet-10 | 404 | 34 | '10 inch cast iron skillet' | Redirect |
| D2 | /blog/how-to-season-cast-iron | 404 | 21 | 'how to season cast iron' | Redirect |
| D3 | /products/copper-kettle-classic | 404 | 12 | 'classic copper kettle' | Redirect |
| D4 | /summer-sale-2023 | 404 | 6 | 'summer sale' | Redirect, needs your check |
| D5 | /p/12345 | 404 | 3 | (no anchor); path names no topic | Leave as 404: no topic clue |
| D6 | /products/bamboo-board-xl | 404 | 1 | 'XL bamboo cutting board' | Leave as 404: below min_ref_domains |
Rows: 6. Redirect: 4 (D1 to D4). Leave as 404: 2 (D5, D6). Check: 4 + 2 = 6.
Redirect map
Each rule is a server side permanent redirect (301 or 308). Google's redirect guidance treats server side permanent redirects as the clearest signal, and its site move guidance says to keep redirects in place for at least 1 year.
| Row | From | To | Matched words (clue = live topic) |
|---|---|---|---|
| D1 | /products/cast-iron-skillet-10 | https://www.copperkettle.example/products/cast-iron-skillet-10-v2 | '10 inch cast iron skillet' = '10 inch cast iron skillet, current model' (successor product) |
| D2 | /blog/how-to-season-cast-iron | https://www.copperkettle.example/guides/cast-iron-care | 'season ... cast iron' = 'seasoning and cleaning cast iron' (successor article) |
| D3 | /products/copper-kettle-classic | https://www.copperkettle.example/collections/kettles | 'classic copper kettle' = 'all kettles' (closest category; no successor product is in the live list) |
| D4 | /summer-sale-2023 | https://www.copperkettle.example/sale | 'summer sale' = 'current sale page' (shared word: 'sale' only) |
Chain check: none of the four targets is the source of a rule in this map or in your existing redirects. Your existing rule /guides/cast-iron-care-old -> /guides/cast-iron-care ends at the same page D2 points to, and /guides/cast-iron-care is in your live 200 list, so D2 stays one hop.
Leave as 404
- D5 /p/12345 (3 referring domains): no anchor, no old title, and the path does not name a topic, so I did not map it. To map it I need its old page title (see Needs your decision).
- D6 /products/bamboo-board-xl (1 referring domain): below your min_ref_domains of 2. The page that would fit is /collections/cutting-boards ('cutting boards' matches the anchor 'XL bamboo cutting board') if you lower the minimum to 1.
No URL is sent to the home page.
Referring domain totals
- Redirect map: D1 + D2 + D3 + D4 = 34 + 21 + 12 + 6 = 73.
- Leave as 404: D5 + D6 = 3 + 1 = 4.
- Check: 73 + 4 = 77 = 34 + 21 + 12 + 6 + 3 + 1, the sum of all six rows.
Once the rules are live, links to D1 to D4 point to a live page on the same topic. That is the expected effect; I am not claiming any ranking change.
Implementation notes
- Add the 4 rules on the server, CMS or CDN as 301s and keep them for at least a year.
- D4 matches only on the word 'sale'. Your input does not say whether /sale has anything to do with the 2023 summer sale, so I flagged it for you to confirm.
- After launch, crawl the 4 old paths with Screaming Frog SEO Spider and confirm each returns one 301 to a 200 page.
Needs your decision
- Approve the full map (4 rules) before any rule is added.
- Confirm D4 (/summer-sale-2023 to /sale) or move it to Leave as 404.
- Send the old page title for D5 (/p/12345) if you have it, and I will match it.
- Say whether to lower min_ref_domains to 1, which would add D6.