How to Completely Remove Bad URLs Indexed on Google Search

Managing your website's presence on Google can be complex, especially when you want to ensure that bad URLs are removed from the search index. This comprehensive guide will walk you through the steps to effectively remove these bad URLs and maintain the integrity of your website's SEO.

1. Identifying Bad URLs

The first step in the process is to identify the bad URLs that need to be removed from Google's index. You can use Google Search Console (GSC) for this purpose. GSC provides a wealth of information about your website's performance, including indexed URLs:

Go to Google Search Console. Navigate to the Coverage section, where you can see a list of all the URLs that Google has indexed.

Within the Coverage section, look for any URLs that appear suspicious or that you want to remove. This could be due to broken links, content that is no longer relevant, or any other issues that affect user experience or SEO.

2. Removing URLs Using Google Search Console

Temporary Removal

If you need to temporarily hide a URL from Google search results, you can do so through the following steps:

Go to Google Search Console. Navigate to the Removals section. Click on New Request and enter the URL you want to remove. Submit the request. This will temporarily hide the URL from search results for about six months.

Permanent Removal

If the URL is no longer relevant, it's best to remove it permanently. Here's how:

Ensure the URL returns a 404 Not Found or 410 Gone status code. This tells search engines that the content is permanently unavailable at that URL. You can also use the robots.txt file to block access to the URL. Add a rule like User-agent: * Disallow: /path/to/bad-url to the robots.txt file. Remove the URL from your site if possible. This can improve the user experience and reduce server load.

3. Improving Your Site’s SEO

Update Internal Links

Make sure that no internal links point to the bad URLs. This prevents visitors from landing on these pages and ensures that your site's navigation structure remains clean and relevant.

Redirects

If the bad URL has a new, relevant page, you can set up a 301 redirect to the new URL. This helps retain the SEO value from the old URL and directs traffic to the new, beneficial content:

Redirect from the bad URL to the new relevant page using a 301 status code.

4. Request URL Removal from Other Sites

If the bad URL is hosted on another site, you should contact the site owner to request its removal:

Identify the site owner through contact information on the site or other public directories. Explain the situation, providing context about why the URL should be removed. Follow up with the site owner to ensure the removal request is processed.

5. Submit a Sitemap

To ensure that your updated sitemap reflects the current state of your website, include the following steps:

Update your XML sitemap to exclude bad URLs. Submit the updated sitemap through Google Search Console.

6. Monitoring and Follow-Up

After implementing these changes, it's essential to monitor the results and follow up to ensure the bad URLs have been removed from Google's index:

Regularly check Google Search Console for any re-indexing of the bad URLs. Verify that the URLs have been removed from search results over time.

7. Consider Noindex Tags

If you want to keep the content but prevent it from being indexed, you can use a meta noindex tag:

Add the following tag to the head section of the page: meta name"robots" content"noindex"

Additional Tips

Being Patient

It can take time for Google to process removal requests and re-crawl your site. Be patient and give it some time before checking the results.

Stay Informed

Keep up with Google's webmaster guidelines to avoid indexing issues in the future. Regularly reviewing and updating your site can help maintain its performance on Google.

By following these steps, you can effectively manage and remove bad URLs from Google's index, ensuring a better user experience and improved SEO for your website.