How do you use the Removals tool in Google Search Console?
guide // , 5 min read, by Darthwares
To use the Removals tool in Google Search Console, enter your page web address to block it from search results. Google Search Central documents that quick removals take effect within a day and requests last for about 6 months. For permanent removal, you must set a noindex rule using a meta tag or HTTP response header.
On this page // 5 sections
The short version
- The Removals tool removes a page hosted on your site from Google search results within a day.
- Requests submitted through the Removals tool last for about 6 months.
- A noindex rule set via a meta tag or HTTP header drops a page from search results when crawled.
- The Refresh Outdated Content tool updates search results for pages or images with deleted content.
What does the Search Console Removals tool do?
Google Search Central documents that for quick removals, you can use the Removals tool to remove a page hosted on your site from Google's search results within a day. If you need to remove a page of your site quickly from Google's search results, Google's documentation directs site owners to use the Removals tool.
Requests made in the Removals tool last for about 6 months. Because these tool requests are temporary, you must also protect or remove all variations of the URL for the content that you want to remove.
How do you permanently block a page from Google Search?
To block search indexing, Google Search Central explains that a noindex rule is set with either a meta tag or HTTP response header. It is used to prevent indexing content by search engines that support the noindex rule, such as Google. When Googlebot crawls that page and extracts the tag or header, Google will drop that page entirely from Google Search results, regardless of whether other sites link to it.
For the noindex rule to be effective, the page or resource must not be blocked by a robots.txt file, and it has to be otherwise accessible to the crawler. If a page is blocked by robots.txt, Googlebot cannot crawl it to extract the rule. Specifying the noindex rule in the robots.txt file is not supported by Google.
A noindex tag only blocks your page from showing up in Google search results. Users and other search engines that don't support noindex can still access your page.
How do you update search results using the Refresh Outdated Content tool?
Google Help states that if content was deleted from a site but still comes up in Google Search results, the page description or cache might be outdated. You can use the Refresh Outdated Content tool to have Google update search results for pages or images that no longer exist, or pages that have deleted sensitive or critical content. You must be logged in with a Google account to use this tool in order to prevent abuse.
On the Page tab, enter the URL (web address) of the page that has the outdated content you want to refresh. If you've already updated a live page, you don't have to fill out the form. After a successful submission, you will see your request added to the request queue at the bottom of the tool.
If the page is no longer available, it will no longer appear in Search results. If the page is still available but changed, it will remove the snippet from Search results, but will be refreshed the next time Google's crawler visits the page. This tool only updates Google's search result; it does not remove a page from the web. To check the status of your request, go to Refresh outdated content in Google Search Console.
How do you check and manage removal requests?
Reviewing submission queues and page accessibility ensures that requests are submitted and processed correctly by search engine crawlers.
- 01Enter the web address of the page on the Page tab in the Refresh Outdated Content tool.
- 02Confirm that the page is accessible to the crawler and not blocked by a robots.txt file.
- 03Go to Refresh outdated content in Google Search Console to check the status of your request in the queue at the bottom of the tool.
| Symptom | Check | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Page reappears in search results after 6 months. | Check whether all variations of the URL were protected or removed. | Protect or remove all variations of the URL for the content that you want to remove. |
| Googlebot does not drop a page with a noindex tag. | Check if the page is blocked by a robots.txt file. | Ensure the page is not blocked by a robots.txt file so Googlebot can crawl it and extract the noindex rule. |
| Search results show outdated content for a deleted page. | Check if the page description or cache is outdated. | Enter the URL on the Page tab of the Refresh Outdated Content tool to update search results. |
Common questions
How long do requests made in the Removals tool last?
Requests made in the Removals tool last for about 6 months. You must also protect or remove all variations of the URL for the content you want to remove.
Can you specify a noindex rule in a robots.txt file for Google?
No. Specifying the noindex rule in the robots.txt file is not supported by Google. For a noindex rule to be effective, the page must not be blocked by robots.txt and must be accessible to the crawler.
Does the Refresh Outdated Content tool remove a page from the live web?
No. This tool only updates Google's search result; it does not remove a page from the web. You must be logged in with a Google account to use the tool in order to prevent abuse.
What happens if a page with a noindex tag is crawled by Googlebot?
When Googlebot crawls that page and extracts the tag or header, Google will drop that page entirely from Google Search results, regardless of whether other sites link to it.
Primary sources and further reading
This article was researched and written by an AI model and published automatically. It was written from sentences that were checked to appear on the pages below, but a person has not reviewed the text. If something is wrong, tell us at chibivikramathithan@darthwares.com and we will correct it.