Latest Google SEO Update: How To Remove Pages From Google Search Result
“John Mueller from Google shares insights on how to remove pages from Google Search, why sitelinks can’t be manually managed, and when it’s appropriate to use the URL removal tool.”
“Google has confirmed that sitelinks in search results are automatically generated and cannot be manually controlled. To exclude a page from search results, ensure it’s accessible to crawlers and includes a noindex meta tag. For urgent cases, the Search Console’s removal tool offers a quick solution.”
“During a recent SEO Office Hours session, Google’s John Mueller provided advice on preventing unwanted pages from appearing in search results and clarified a common misunderstanding about sitelinks. The conversation kicked off with a user asking how to remove a specific subpage from Google Search, even if it’s still linked to by other websites.”
Regular Listings Vs Sitelinks
Mueller admitted he wasn’t entirely certain about the intent of the question but assumed it referred to either sitelinks or regular search listings. He clarified that sitelinks—those additional links to subpages displayed under a main search result—are generated automatically based on Google’s indexing of your site.
Mueller said:
“There’s no way for you to manually say I want this page indexed. I just don’t want it shown as a sitelink.”
“In short, you can’t block a page from appearing as a sitelink without removing it from the index entirely. To ensure a page never shows up in search results, a more definitive method is needed.”
Then How To Deindex A Page?
Mueller described a two-step approach to removing pages from Google’s search results using the noindex directive:**
1. Ensure the page is crawlable: Google must be able to access the page. If it’s blocked by robots.txt, the noindex tag won’t be detected and will have no effect.
2. Add a noindex tag: Once accessible, include a noindex meta tag on the page to tell Google not to show it in search results.
Removing Pages Quickly
“For quicker results, Mueller recommended using the URL Removal Tool in Google Search Console, which enables verified site owners to request temporary removal of pages.
‘It works very quickly,’ he confirmed for verified users.
If the page is on a site you don’t own, there’s also a public version of the tool. However, Mueller noted that this option ‘takes a little bit longer’ since Google needs to confirm the content has been removed.”