A No-Fluff Guide to Requesting Content Removal from Google
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There are two scenarios here – The first one is when you have removed the content that you own or was on your website, but it is still indexed by Google and ranking on their search engine or other search engines alike.
The second one is that you don’t own the content, it’s a third party, but you wanted it removed from Google.
This guide applies to both scenarios. So, let’s cut to the chase and find out how you can put a content removal request on Google.
What If You Own or Control the Content? – The Removal Guide for That
It’s possible to remove a web page URL that you own from Google search results. Here’s how:
Use the Removals Tool in Google Search Console
Temporary Removals
You can request a temporary removal of the URL from Google’s search results. This is effective for about 6 months. Here are the steps:
- Sign in to Google Search Console and select the property for your website.
Image Credit: Google
- Go to the “Indexing” section and click on “Removals”.
Image Credit: Google
- Under the “Temporary Removals” tab, enter the URL you want to remove by clicking on “New Request” button.
Image Credit: Google
- Click “Submit” to request the removal.
Image Credit: Google
Permanent Removals
For a permanent solution, ensure the content is removed from your site and return a 404 (not found) or 410 (gone) HTTP status code.
Noindex Meta Tag
Add a <meta name=”robots” content=”noindex”> tag to the HTML head of the page you want to remove. This tag tells search engines not to index the page.
To remove an image that you own from Google search results, do the following:
Use the Removals Tool in Google Search Console
Similar to removing pages, you can request a temporary removal of the image URL.
Noindex Meta Tag
If the image is on a specific page, ensure the page itself is set to noindex using the <meta name=”robots” content=”noindex”> tag.
Remove or Replace the Image
Physically remove the image from your server or replace it with another image.
Learn More:
What If You DON’T Own or Control the Content? – The Removal Guide for That
Again, there are two ways of approaching this. Let’s get to it:
Using Online Forms Provided by Google to Report Negative Content
Not many people know this, but Google lets you remove certain web results from their search engine.
They have online forms for different types of content you want taken down. Here’s a quick rundown of what you can report and get removed:
- Explicit or Intimate Personal Images: If search results show explicit or intimate images of you.
- Involuntary or Fake Pornography: If there’s non-consensual or fake porn.
- Pornography Irrelevantly Linked to Your Name: If porn is showing up connected to your name without reason.
- Doxxing Content or Personal Information (PII): If search results reveal your personal info or involve doxxing.
- Information on Exploitative Sites: If your info is on exploitative websites.
- Images of Minors: If search results include images of minors.
Just fill out the right form for your situation, and you can ask Google to remove these types of content from their search results.
Image Credit: Google
Here’s an easy online form you can use to kick off a removal request and report any negative content you see on Google:
Once you submit a removal request to Google, here’s what happens next:
- Confirmation Email: You’ll get an email saying they got your request.
- Review: Google will check out your request to see if it fits their rules.
- More Info: If they need anything else from you, they’ll ask.
- Update: They’ll let you know if they take any action.
Google will look into whether the content should be removed according to their policies. If it qualifies, they’ll remove it from search results. If it doesn’t, they’ll explain why.
Requesting Content Removal from Google by Submitting Individual Requests on the SERPs
You can get rid of bad search results on Google pretty easily. Here’s how:
- Search for the Keyword: Type in the keyword that’s showing those negative results.
Image Credit: Google
- Find the Three Dots: Look for the three dots next to the search result you want to remove and click them. A sidebar will pop up. Click on “Remove result.”
Image Credit: Google
- Pick a Reason: Choose why you want the result gone.
Image Credit: Google
- Add Extra Info: If asked, give some extra details like your name and contact info.
Image Credit: Google
- Send It Off: Hit “Send request.” You can also check up on any past requests you’ve made.
Image Credit: Google
- That’s it: The request will be sent.
Image Credit: Google
FAQs
For how much time does temporary removal work?
It’s effective only for up to 6 months. After that, the web pages or images might pop back on the search results page. Also, the temporary removal has to be done via Google Search Console.
How can the content be permanently removed from Google?
For permanent removal, the content must be removed from the site first and the page when opened must show a message of 404 (Not Found) or 410 (Gone). Further, a noindex tag has to be added to the code of the web page so that Google is not able to index it and show it up on the search engine.
Is it possible to remove content from Google if you don’t own it?
Yes, there’s a possibility. Google allows putting requests against content showing on the search engine results page. You can either use Google’s online form or submit a request individually from the SERP itself.
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