How to Easily Delete a WordPress Page

Managing your WordPress website might require you to delete a WordPress page at some point.

Removing unnecessary pages is necessary for maintaining an organized and user-friendly website, whether due to outdated content, duplicate pages, or a complete site restructuring.

However, it’s important to note that deleting a page without considering the SEO implications can result in broken links and negatively impact your site’s search engine rankings.

In this post, we’ll walk you through how to delete a WordPress page and discuss the SEO aspect of redirecting the deleted page to another location.

1 Why Would You Want to Delete a WordPress Page?

Before we dive into the steps, it’s important to understand why you might want to delete a WordPress page. Here are some reasons why:

• You might have mistakenly created a page and want to eliminate it
• You might have a page that is no longer relevant or useful to your website
• You might want to consolidate your content and delete similar or redundant pages
• The page violates your website’s terms of use or privacy policy
• The page contains outdated information that needs to be updated or removed
• It might be causing technical issues or conflicts with other pages on your website

Whatever the reason, deleting a WordPress page is a simple process that can help you keep your website organized and clutter-free.

2 When You Should Not Delete a WordPress Page

Deleting a WordPress page can harm SEO, leading to lost rankings, traffic drops, and broken links. If a page is already indexed, removing it without redirection may frustrate users and reduce engagement.

Pages that rank well, have backlinks or receive consistent traffic should not be deleted without careful evaluation. Eliminating such pages can waste link equity and reduce visibility in search results.

Even outdated pages might still attract visitors, making updates or repurposing a better alternative.

Before deleting a page, analyze its performance using tools like Google Analytics and Google Search Console.

3 Steps to Delete a WordPress Page

Now, let’s explore the steps to delete a WordPress page.

3.1 Log in to Your WordPress Dashboard

To begin, log in to your WordPress admin area by entering your username and password. Once logged in, you will be directed to your WordPress dashboard.

3.2 Navigate to the Pages Section

In the left-hand menu, find and click Pages. This will open a list of all the pages on your WordPress site.

3.3 Delete the Page

Browse through the list or use the search function to find the specific page you want to delete.

A few options will appear beneath the page title. One of these options is Trash. Click on it to move the page to the trash.

You can bulk delete the pages by selecting the pages and choosing the Move to Trash option, as shown below. Click Apply, and the selected pages will be moved to trash.

You can also delete a WordPress page from the page editing screen.

You’ll find the Move to trash option. Click on it. This action doesn’t permanently delete the page but moves it to the trash.

3.4 Empty the Trash (Optional)

By default, deleted pages are moved to the Trash folder, where they can be restored if needed. 

If you want to permanently delete the pages and free up space, navigate to the Trash tab, hover over the page, and then click the Delete Permanently option.

To delete all the pages in the trash at once, click the Empty Trash button below the pages.

However, once a page is deleted from the trash, it cannot be recovered, so be sure to double-check before proceeding with the deletion.

4 Alternatives to Deleting a WordPress Page

Before permanently deleting a WordPress page, it is essential to consider alternative approaches that can help preserve SEO value and maintain user experience.

In many cases, deleting a page outright may not be the best solution, especially if the page has backlinks, receives traffic, or contains useful content.

4.1 Update and Repurpose Content

If a page is outdated but still holds some value, consider updating it instead of deleting it.

Adding fresh insights, new data, or additional sections can make the content relevant again. This approach is particularly useful for evergreen topics, where minor updates can restore their usefulness and visibility in search results.

Repurposing content into a different format—such as turning a blog post into an infographic, video, or downloadable guide—can help engage a wider audience and increase its longevity.

Rather than removing the page, enhancing its value ensures that existing rankings and traffic are maintained.

4.2 Noindex Low-Value Pages

Some pages may not provide much SEO value but are still necessary for the website, such as outdated product listings, seasonal promotions, or temporary announcements.

Instead of deleting these pages, applying a noindex tag prevents search engines from indexing them while keeping them accessible to users. This approach helps avoid cluttering search results with pages that do not contribute positively to SEO.

Implementing noindex through our SEO plugin Rank Math ensures that such pages are effectively excluded from search engines while remaining available for internal navigation.

To do so, navigate to your post editing screen, and in the Advanced tab of the Rank Math meta box, select the No Index option, as shown below.

4.3 Merge Similar Pages & Use Redirects

If multiple pages cover similar topics or have overlapping content, merging them into a single, comprehensive page can enhance user experience and improve search rankings.

Instead of deleting older or redundant pages, their content can be consolidated into a well-structured, updated article.

Once the merging process is complete, redirecting from the old URLs to the new, updated page ensures that visitors and search engines are directed to the right content.

This method prevents broken links, preserves link equity, and strengthens the authority of the newly merged page.

We’ll now discuss in detail how you can easily redirect URLs with the help of the Rank Math plugin.

5 Redirecting Deleted Pages for SEO Purposes

With the redirection feature in the Rank Math SEO plugin, you can effortlessly redirect deleted pages to an existing live page, maintaining the link value and ensuring a seamless user experience.

If you have the Rank Math SEO plugin enabled on your website, it will prompt you to redirect a deleted page to a new URL to improve SEO.

The new URL can be a fresh or improved version of the deleted content or the original to eliminate duplication.

Click the a new URL link in the notice to access the redirections feature and make the necessary adjustments.

Let’s explore how this process works.

5.1 Install and Configure Rank Math SEO Plugin

To begin, install and activate Rank Math SEO in your WordPress dashboard. Refer to our step-by-step guide on how to install the Rank Math plugin.

Once activated, ensure you complete the setup wizard and configure the plugin on your website.

5.2 Enable the Redirections Module

Before using the redirection features, you need to enable them. To do so, navigate to Rank Math SEO → Dashboard from your WordPress dashboard and enable the Redirections module, as shown below.

5.3 Access the Redirections Page

Once you’ve activated the Redirection Module, you’ll find it in the left-hand sidebar under Rank Math SEO. To access the redirection page, simply click on Redirections, as shown below.

5.4 Add a New Redirection

On the redirection page, click the Add New button. This will open a form where you can add a new redirection.

In the Source URLs field, input the URL of the deleted page you wish to redirect (e.g., if it was “https://example.com/deleted-page,” enter “/deleted-page”). 

Then, in the Destination URL field, enter the URL of the active page to which you want the traffic from the deleted page to be redirected.

Choose the suitable redirection type. For deleted pages, opt for the 301 Permanent Move option. This signals to search engines that the page has permanently moved to a new location.

Below, you’ll find additional options such as redirection category, status, and schedule. Configure them according to your preferences. Then, scroll down and click the Add Redirection button to add the redirection.

6 Post-Deletion SEO Considerations

Even after deleting a WordPress page, it may appear in search results for some time.

Search engines do not remove pages instantly, as they periodically recrawl websites to update their index.

During this period, visitors clicking on the deleted page’s link can encounter a 404 Not Found error, which can harm user experience and site credibility.

Google will eventually deindex the removed page, but you can speed up the process using Google Search Console. The Removals Tool allows to request temporary removal of a URL from search results while Google updates its index. This is particularly useful for ensuring that outdated or irrelevant pages are no longer accessible through search engines.

If the deleted page has been replaced with new content on a different URL, it is important to request that the updated page be indexed. Submitting the new URL in Google Search Console ensures that Google discovers and ranks the replacement page faster.

7 Using HTTP 410 for Faster Deletion from Google’s Index

When a page is deleted, search engines typically encounter a 404 (Not Found) or 410 (Gone) status code.

While both indicate that the page is unavailable, they communicate different messages to search engines.

A 404 suggests that the page might return, prompting search engines to keep checking for it.

In contrast, a 410 explicitly states that the page has been permanently removed, leading to faster deindexing.

If you want Google to remove a deleted page from its index as quickly as possible, using a 410 Gone status code is the better option.

Rank Math makes it extremely simple to add a 410 Gone status code. To do so, navigate to the Redirections section and click the Add New button, as shown below.

In the Source URLs field, provide the URLs of the pages you want to set to the 410 status code.

Next, skip the Destination URL and Redirection Type options and move directly to the Maintenance Code option. Click the 410 Content Deleted button, and you’ll notice the Destination URL option disappear.

After configuring the redirection settings, you can assign a category, select the status, and schedule its activation as needed.

Once everything is set up, scroll to the bottom of the page and click the Add Redirection button to apply the changes.

After saving, all URLs entered in the Source URLs field will immediately return a 410 status code. You can verify this by visiting the pages or using a header-checking tool.

8 Conclusion

Deleting a WordPress page can be simple, but it’s important to remember to redirect the URL to another page or post. 

Following the steps outlined in this post, you can safely delete a WordPress page and ensure your website’s visitors are directed to the right content. 

Remember to consider SEO implications, implement proper redirects, and periodically review your content for optimal website management.

The Redirection feature of Rank Math SEO can help manage your website’s content.

By following the outlined steps, you can delete a WordPress page easily and effectively.

If you like this post, let us know by Tweeting @rankmathseo.