HTTP 301 redirect rules for deleted help articles
Use server-side 301 redirect rules for deleted public help articles instead of relying on JavaScript error-page redirects when search traffic matters.
Why this can grow a startup
Docs migrations and article cleanups quietly leak authority when deleted URLs just flash a not-found page and then jump with client-side JavaScript. Zendesk warns that JavaScript redirects can hurt Google rankings and recommends HTTP 301 redirects through the redirect rules API for permanent, high-traffic public pages. That keeps existing search value attached to a useful destination and makes the archive feel maintained instead of abandoned.
Source-backed example
Zendesk warns that JavaScript redirects are not suitable for long-term or large-scale deployment and recommends the redirect rules API to create HTTP 301 redirects when SEO matters.
Source-reported evidence
Source: Zendesk Help · Browse Zendesk Help tactics
Zendesk explicitly recommends HTTP 301 redirects for permanent URL changes and high-traffic public articles
Attributed to the cited source; GrowthDex has not independently verified it. Use this as context, not as a forecast, benchmark, or recommended target.
Evidence scope: claims and metrics are attributed to the linked source; GrowthDex has not independently replicated the reported result. Check the original context and validate fit before applying it. Read the evidence methodology.
Source discovered: May 28, 2026
When to use it
Use this when SEO, Support, Website is relevant to redirects, migration, technical seo and you can run a bounded test with a medium budget.
When not to use it
Do not use it as a substitute for customer evidence, a clear owner, or a measurable stop condition. Local platform rules and market behavior still need checking.
How to do it
- Choose one target segment and define the exact next action this tactic should prompt.
- Adapt the tactic to SEO and Support, using evidence from Zendesk Help as context—not as a promised result.
- Record a baseline for: Qualified search visitors who complete the intended next action. Set a guardrail that would make you pause the test.
- Run a narrow pilot and choose a test window that fits the normal decision or use cycle; do not scale before you have observed the full cycle.
- Compare the signal with its baseline. Scale only if the intended action improves without crossing the guardrail; otherwise revise one variable or stop and record what you learned.
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