Should you delete a landing page when its campaign ends?
A campaign ends, but its address remains in emails, saved tabs and social posts. Leaving the original offer untouched can mislead visitors, while sending every old address to the homepage removes context. Base the decision on what someone arriving at the old address still needs, not just the campaign’s closing date.
Remove the outdated promise first
In an illustrative exhibition campaign, discounted advance registration has closed. If the page still displays “Register now” with an expired price, remove that promise first. State the closing date and current status clearly. When old terms remain as an archive, make it obvious near the top that they are not the current offer. Visitors should not have to read the fine print before discovering that an application is no longer available.
Choose among three outcomes
Keep a clearly dated archive when useful explanation, event information or a record of past terms is still needed. Consider a redirect when a new page genuinely serves the same need. If the content is gone with no meaningful replacement, plan the missing-page response. Google describes permanent redirects as a strong signal for the new target, while 404/410 indicate missing content. Consult the redirect documentation and status-code guidance for the technical choice.
A relevant destination is more than the nearest available page
Redirecting last year’s training programme to an unrelated general homepage does not explain the dates and curriculum the visitor wanted. If a new edition continues the same programme, a transition explaining what ended and what changed may help. If no new edition exists, do not invent a date or promise that it is coming soon. An option to request updates should be offered only if that separate workflow is actually maintained.
Put closure into the campaign brief
- Assign an owner and date for the post-campaign update.
- Sample old advertising, email and social links.
- Check that the form, price and main action match the current status.
- Keep Turkish and English period information consistent.
- For redirects, verify the final destination and actual HTTP status.
- Check the date on retained archives and the next step offered on removed pages.
Displaying “ended” visually does not prove that the server returns the intended status code.
Report the result accurately
Record which address became an archive, redirected or was removed, and when. A redirect or a successful 200 response does not guarantee a particular Google ranking or indexing outcome. Our 404 guide covers helping visitors after a missing page. Include campaign closure in the website design and SEO scope so the end-of-campaign decision is concrete.
If campaign ownership and website maintenance belong to different people, use a single closure note. Record the last valid terms, the action to remove, information to retain and any replacement destination. A small disclaimer may not correct an old promise elsewhere: headings, link previews and form acknowledgements can still repeat it. Open those three surfaces as a visitor after the update and check them again.
Frequently asked questions
Should every ended campaign redirect to the homepage?
Do not make that an automatic rule. Check whether the destination genuinely serves the old visitor’s need.
Can an archive continue presenting the old discount as available?
No. Clearly identify the archive and closing date, and remove expired offers or application actions.