Google is currently considered as great as God among netizens of the world.
We rely on this search engine for every trivial or important doubt we have or information we seek. However, when Google gets too good at its job, it can mean trouble for many individuals. It is a known fact that everything we are searching for or browsing through gets stored as data by Google.
This has become a matter of concern for many as unauthorized personal data, images, videos, etc., are showing up on Google.
Due to this reason, we now have the option to deindex a page to remove content online from Google search. This article is a guide on how to deindex Google articles.
First things first, what is deindexing Google? Businesses are always worried that their pages will get indexed, which means they might get associated with fake news or comments that can damage their image on the internet.
De Indexing Google refers to the removal of a URL that is already indexed and listed in search results.
When the request for de-indexing is approved and the content is removed from Google's index, a de-indexed link will be referred to.
This can lead to serious trouble for the online reputation of a business. Even rankings and overall authority can get decreased. The worst part is that most businesses do not even realize that their page has been indexed.
Since Google excels at everything it does, it has excelled in indexing as well. Hence, it often shows certain pages or articles in searches that are not meant to be appearing there.
For example, the ‘thank you’ page of a business might appear in the search result due to indexing. Businesses often design in a manner that one action points the viewers towards the next one. Viewing the ‘thank you page in the very beginning can prevent the website from marketing and making sales.
What is the solution? Google has come up with a process to deindex Google pages.
This entails the removal of an already indexed URL from the listed search results. For this, you have to request for deindexing, and only when the request is accepted is the content removed. You might wonder where this data goes then?
It definitely does not disappear. It merely gets pushed back to what we know as the Dark Web. Here, only those who possess the URL can access the webpage.
There are essentially four easy ways that you can use to deindex Google information.
Removing or deleting content from your page is one of the easiest ways to get rid of data that got indexed but is unnecessary. An example of this is the sample page that most businesses have, which is basically an irrelevant, low-grade web page that has no point being ranked on Google. Hence, you remove such a page. Once you successfully remove negative search results from Google, it will show the message ‘404 Not Found Page’.
This is another effective way to deindex Google pages. This is a useful method when there are meaningless pages, and you do not want them to be indexed, but they are still of some value for your website. An example of this is the ‘Thank You' page. You can use a noindex meta tag to inform Google that you do not want that particular page indexed, and Google shall abide.
<meta name="robots" content="noindex">
Some amount of coding and professional knowledge of web page development is required to use the noindex meta tag. Surely, as a business, you will have experts responsible for such a thing.
Duplicate content is when a single content is on various parts of the internet and can be accessed using multiple URLs. Content is usually duplicated without your knowledge and can prove detrimental. However, once you find out the location of the duplicate content, you can de-index it. This is necessary for online reputation repair and to prevent a decrease in traffic or high rankings.
There is yet another method that can be used to deindex Google web pages, and this entails using an URL removal tool. While this is effective, it must be your last resort. Using this tool will hide your data for some time and hence, is a temporary solution. Nevertheless, this method can be advantageous during emergencies like data leakage, security issues, etc.
Using this tool, you can hide the page within a day. You will find access to the tool on Google itself, and the steps are very easy to follow.
Now you have deindexed the web pages and want to confirm whether you have succeeded. How can you check if the URL has been deindexed? There are 2 primary ways of doing this:
The easiest way to check if a web page has been deindexed or not is to check on Google manually by typing site:yoursite.com. You will get a list of the indexed pages, and you can check if the particular page is on the list.
The second way is to check in the Google Search Console. You can search for the specific URL in the upper menu and check if it’s showing under indexed pages. If the page is indexed, you will get the message, ‘URL is on Google’. If the page has been deindexed, it will show ‘URL is not on Google’.
This is a question that concerns most people in the present times. The internet has created a situation where data is everywhere, and anybody can use or misuse it. The most sure-shot way to remove your name from the internet is to delete all your social media accounts or create one with a fake username and all irrelevant information. This can protect you to a certain extent.
The simple answer is to prevent traffic from pausing on the page. Customers viewing a page follow specific directions on the page to navigate it. However, if Google indexes empty web pages and show those in the search list, the company’s reputation can suffer.
Data is the most valuable possession of the individual, private companies, and the government. It gives power to the one who possesses it. Deindexing is a method individuals and businesses use alike to remove web pages that might have become indexed.
The best way to achieve a successful deindex on Google is to hire a professional online reputation management service. We can help!
