10K+ products, how to do with redirects?

Hello,
Need advice, what do you do with e-commerce projects that have more than 10k products? Our main keywords lead to collection pages, so all good with that, but what to do if we have a lot of products and they are being changed every week? As a result, we are getting a lot of 404s. Do we need to redirect all these products somewhere or it doesn't matter? Let's say the product goes out of stock and usually we remove it from the collection and use it as a draft. Also, as I said, these products usually come back to the store after a month or two.

For e-commerce sites with lots of products changing often, redirect out-of-stock items to similar ones or relevant categories to keep your site smooth and helpful for visitors.

Consider using a 302 redirect to the relevant category page or a similar product. This way, you're preserving the link equity and providing a good user experience.

Managing redirects for a large number of products, such as 10,000 or more, requires a systematic approach to ensure smooth transitions and maintain SEO equity. Here's how to handle redirects effectively:

1. Map Old URLs to New URLs: Create a comprehensive spreadsheet or database mapping the old URLs of your products to their corresponding new URLs after the redesign or restructuring. This mapping ensures that every old URL has a designated redirect target.
2. Implement 301 Redirects: Use 301 redirects to permanently redirect old URLs to their new equivalents. This type of redirect signals to search engines that the old URL has permanently moved to a new location, transferring the SEO equity (such as backlinks and ranking authority) from the old page to the new one.
3. Automate Redirects: For a large number of products, manual redirection can be time-consuming and prone to errors. Consider using automated tools or scripts to implement redirects in bulk based on the mapping you created. Content management systems (CMS) and website platforms often offer built-in tools or plugins for managing redirects efficiently.
4. Prioritize High-Traffic Pages: Identify high-traffic product pages or pages with significant SEO value and prioritize redirecting them first. This ensures that important pages maintain their rankings and traffic while you work through the rest of the redirects.
5. Monitor and Test Redirects: After implementing redirects, monitor their performance using tools like Google Search Console and website analytics platforms. Check for any redirection errors or issues and address them promptly. Additionally, regularly test the redirects to ensure they are functioning correctly and leading users to the intended destination pages.
6. Update Internal Links: Review internal links within your website to ensure they point to the new URLs rather than the old ones. This helps maintain a consistent user experience and prevents users from encountering broken links or redirect chains.
7. Communicate Changes: If your website has frequent visitors or loyal customers, consider communicating the site redesign and URL changes to them via email newsletters, social media, or website announcements. Providing clear instructions and information about the changes can help mitigate confusion and frustration.
8. Monitor SEO Performance: Keep a close eye on your website's SEO performance, including rankings, organic traffic, and indexing status, following the implementation of redirects. Monitor any fluctuations in rankings or traffic and take corrective actions if necessary.

By following these steps and diligently managing redirects for your large product inventory, you can ensure a smooth transition during website redesigns or restructuring while preserving SEO equity and maintaining a positive user experience.