diff --git a/etc/mapserver-sample.conf b/etc/mapserver-sample.conf
index 778d782a00..acd2855794 100644
--- a/etc/mapserver-sample.conf
+++ b/etc/mapserver-sample.conf
@@ -21,9 +21,10 @@ CONFIG
     # MS_ERRORFILE "/opt/mapserver/logs/mapserver.log"
 
     #
-    # Global Error Redirect Handling (see web object docs)
+    # Global Error Redirect Handling
     #
-    # MS_EMPTY "https://mapserver.org/"
+    # see https://mapserver.org/mapfile/web.html#EMPTY
+    # MS_EMPTY_URL "https://mapserver.org/"
 
     #
     # Default Map
diff --git a/msautotest/query/6907_01.conf b/msautotest/query/6907_01.conf
index ba79b5f104..a90b9e0553 100644
--- a/msautotest/query/6907_01.conf
+++ b/msautotest/query/6907_01.conf
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 CONFIG
   ENV
     MS_MAP_PATTERN "."
-    MS_EMPTY "http://localhost/6907_01.html"
+    MS_EMPTY_URL "http://localhost/6907_01.html"
   END
 END
diff --git a/src/mapservutil.c b/src/mapservutil.c
index d17a1c938f..781f931e6c 100644
--- a/src/mapservutil.c
+++ b/src/mapservutil.c
@@ -91,10 +91,10 @@ void msCGIWriteError(mapservObj *mapserv) {
 
   if ((ms_error->code == MS_NOTFOUND) &&
       (mapserv->map->web.empty != NULL ||
-       CPLGetConfigOption("MS_EMPTY", NULL) != NULL)) {
+       CPLGetConfigOption("MS_EMPTY_URL", NULL) != NULL)) {
     const char *url = mapserv->map->web.empty;
     if (url == NULL)
-      url = CPLGetConfigOption("MS_EMPTY", NULL);
+      url = CPLGetConfigOption("MS_EMPTY_URL", NULL);
     if (msReturnURL(mapserv, url, BROWSE) != MS_SUCCESS) {
       msIO_setHeader("Content-Type", "text/html");
       msIO_sendHeaders();
@@ -2000,7 +2000,7 @@ int msCGIDispatchQueryRequest(mapservObj *mapserv) {
 
     /* catch empty result set when web->empty is set (#6907) */
     if (mapserv->map->web.empty != NULL ||
-        CPLGetConfigOption("MS_EMPTY", NULL) != NULL) {
+        CPLGetConfigOption("MS_EMPTY_URL", NULL) != NULL) {
       int n = 0;
       for (int i = 0; i < mapserv->map->numlayers; i++) { // count results
         if (mapserv->map->layers[i]->resultcache) {
diff --git a/src/maptemplate.c b/src/maptemplate.c
index ff2c3bc1d8..7a5fb8ac35 100644
--- a/src/maptemplate.c
+++ b/src/maptemplate.c
@@ -4702,7 +4702,7 @@ int msReturnPage(mapservObj *mapserv, char *html, int mode,
   return MS_SUCCESS;
 }
 
-int msReturnURL(mapservObj *ms, char *url, int mode) {
+int msReturnURL(mapservObj *ms, const char *url, int mode) {
   char *tmpurl;
 
   if (url == NULL) {
diff --git a/src/maptemplate.h b/src/maptemplate.h
index 5eea717880..887b829c3b 100644
--- a/src/maptemplate.h
+++ b/src/maptemplate.h
@@ -198,7 +198,7 @@ MS_DLL_EXPORT int checkWebScale(mapservObj *msObj);
 MS_DLL_EXPORT int setExtent(mapservObj *msObj);
 
 MS_DLL_EXPORT int msReturnPage(mapservObj *msObj, char *, int, char **);
-MS_DLL_EXPORT int msReturnURL(mapservObj *msObj, char *, int);
+MS_DLL_EXPORT int msReturnURL(mapservObj *msObj, const char *, int);
 MS_DLL_EXPORT int msReturnNestedTemplateQuery(mapservObj *msObj,
                                               char *pszMimeType,
                                               char **papszBuffer);