3000 old useless pages indexed in google - 404 or 301 them?

i got an old site with 3000+ pages indexed in google, i want to completely redo the site, and those old pages are useless, they get no external links to them, they are just indexed, should i 404 them all or 301 them to the main page? cause i guess it won't look too good for Big G if 3000 pages are just gone..

what do you guys think?

Use a 301 redirect. Unless they're actively hurting you, there's no reason not to use a 301. Having more pages indexed in Google is better than fewer pages.

I saw one site ranking just because of (many) internal 301 redirects.

They are few ways:
404 options:
- Use 404 and post ads on the 404 page. (strongly not recommended)
- Redirect all 404 to you home page.
- Create a good user friendly 404 page with search option.
301 option:
- Redirect permanently all internal pages to you home page. (recommended)
In this way you will split your internal RP with your homepage and you will not lose ranking.

Great question ThunderC,

If you are tracking the site have you looked at how much traffic (if any) you are receiving from these pages? If it makes up a substantial amount you should 301 redirect them. The destination you choose (home page or similar page) may also be determined by how much they are traveled. If you can determine that people clicking on those links are benefiting you in some way then you may want to redirect them to similar pages in your redesign as opposed to the home page of your site. Mass redirecting everything to the home page can make for a poor user experience.

At the very least you should redirect those old pages somewhere. Check out this post on Hubspot mentioning Toys R Us and how the company didn't redirect old traffic. Major mistake,

http://blog.hubspot.com/blog/tabid/6307/bid/7430/What-is-a-301-Redirect-and-Why-Should-You-Care.aspx

Hope that helps,

Shawn

301

301's a re fine - almost zero - if not actually sero - neg SEO effect

404's have a measurable negative effect on both Googles perception of your site as far as user experience (bounce rate, content, navigation)

301 almost every time

Scritty

I use 301 redirect just about every time.

thanks guys, going to go with 301 redirect

Yep, 301 it without a doubt. you will be losing out on link juice that may exist but you don't see....

I believe 301 redirects are the only redirects that actually transfer the link juice to where you would redirect. its also a good way to get any of the stray traffic you may be getting.