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How do I remove not indexed pages from the Google Search Console?

Published in Search Console 3 mins read

To remove pages that are not indexed by Google from the Google Search Console, you'll need to use the URL Removals tool. Here's how:

  1. Access the URL Removals Tool:

    • Ensure you have verified ownership of your website in Google Search Console.
    • In the left-hand navigation, go to the "Indexing" section, then click "Removals."

  2. Create a New Removal Request:

    • Click the "New Request" button.

  3. Choose Your Removal Option and Enter the URL:

    • You'll be presented with options for temporary removals. Enter the specific URL of the page you want to remove.

  4. Select a Removal Type: There are typically two main options:

    • Temporarily remove URL: This option hides the page from Google Search results for about six months. It also clears the cached copy of the page. If you want to permanently remove the page, you'll need to take additional steps (explained below).
    • Clear cached URL: This option clears Google's cached version of the page, but doesn't remove it from search results if it's still live and being indexed.

  5. Submit the Request:

    • After selecting the appropriate option and entering the URL, submit your request.

  6. Permanent Removal (Important): Using the URL Removals tool only temporarily removes the page from Google's index. To permanently prevent a page from being indexed, you need to take one of the following actions on your website:

    • Remove the Page: Delete the page entirely from your website. This is the most straightforward approach.
    • Noindex Meta Tag or HTTP Header: Add a noindex meta tag to the <head> section of the HTML code of the page, or return a noindex HTTP header in the server's response. This tells Google not to index the page when it crawls it.
    • Password Protect the Page: Require a username and password to access the page. This effectively prevents Google from crawling and indexing it.
    • Block with robots.txt: While technically not a guaranteed removal method (Google can still index a blocked URL if it finds links to it from other sites), adding the URL to your robots.txt file will generally prevent Google from crawling the page. This is the least reliable method for preventing indexing.

  7. Monitor the Status:

    • Check the status of your removal request in the Removals tool. It will show as "Pending," "Removed," or "Denied."

Important Considerations:

  • URLs are Case Sensitive: Be precise when entering URLs. Google treats URLs with different capitalization as distinct.
  • Regular Expression Removals: Use the option to remove all URLs with a specific prefix to remove multiple URLs at once (e.g., all URLs within a specific directory). Use this with caution, as you can unintentionally remove pages you didn't intend to.
  • Sitemap Submissions: Submitting a sitemap can help Google discover and index your updated content (and recognize your "noindex" directives more quickly).

In summary, using the URL Removals tool in Google Search Console allows you to temporarily hide pages from Google's search results. For permanent removal, you must also implement a method on your website to prevent indexing, such as removing the page, using a noindex tag, or password protecting the page.

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