Ever searched your business and found outdated or random pages in Google? If you’ve been wondering how to remove a page from the index (whether it’s a 404, an old offer, or private content), this guide is for you. We’ll walk through exactly how to remove a page from Google index, when to deindex a page, and how to protect your SEO in the process.
When to remove a page from Google Index (and why it matters)
Before we dive into the “how,” let’s talk about the “why.” Here are a few common reasons you may want to remove a page from the index:
- Outdated or inaccurate content: The page is for a service you don’t offer anymore (or the information is no longer true).
- Thin or duplicate content: Pages created by themes or plugins that aren’t helpful to visitors (like empty tag archives or unnecessary author pages).
- Sensitive or internal content: Pages that were never meant to be public but got indexed anyway – yikes!
- Pages created for ads or experiments: Sometimes you have landing pages or A/B test pages you don’t want showing up in search.
- 404 pages: When a page is deleted, but Google still has it indexed.
Having these pages indexed can dilute your site’s overall authority and confuse both Google and your potential customers. Cleaning them up isn’t just a technical task. It’s also a good strategic move.
Still learning your way around SEO? Check out the basic SEO terms every site owner should know.
How to remove a page from Google Index using Search Console
One of the easiest ways to remove a page from Google search results is through the Google Search Console Removals Tool.
This method is perfect when you need to temporarily remove a page or want to speed up the removal of an outdated URL.
When to use this to remove a page from the index
- You’ve deleted or hidden a page but it’s still showing in search
- You want to clear a cached version of a page that’s been updated
- You need a quick fix while you work on permanent changes
How to do it:
- Log in to Google Search Console
- Select your site property
- Click on “Removals” in the left-hand menu
- Choose “New Request”
- Paste the full URL of the page you want to remove
- Confirm the request
The page will be temporarily removed from Google’s search results for 6 months.
Extra tip:
If the content on the page has changed and you want the old version gone from Google’s cache, choose “Clear cached URL.” This forces Google to drop the outdated snippet.
How to Remove 404 Pages from Google Index
Just because you deleted a page doesn’t mean Google instantly forgets about it. Sometimes, 404s linger in the index for weeks or even months.
Here’s how to clean them up:
Option 1: Let Google drop it naturally
If a page returns a proper 404 HTTP status code (meaning the page is truly gone), Google will eventually remove it from the index. A couple of notes:
- This can take a few weeks
- Make sure you don’t redirect the page elsewhere unless there’s a clear alternative
Option 2: Use the Removals Tool for faster results
As above, go into Google Search Console → Removals → submit the 404 URL. This doesn’t delete it permanently, but it hides it while Google processes the change.
Optional: Redirect It
If there’s a more relevant page to send users to, add a 301 redirect. For example, if you retired a service page for one-on-one coaching, but still offer group coaching, you can redirect to the newer service page.
How to permanently deindex a page from Google
Temporary removals are a great quick fix, but sometimes you want the page gone for good.
Here’s how to deindex a page permanently:
Step 1: Add a noindex Tag
Use an SEO plugin like Yoast or Rank Math to set the page’s meta robots tag to noindex. This tells Google not to include the page in search results.
- In Yoast, go to the page editor → Advanced tab → “Allow search engines to show this Page in search results?” → select “No.”
- In Rank Math, toggle on “No Index” in the Advanced meta settings.
Step 2: Remove the page from your sitemap
Your sitemap should reflect only the pages you want indexed. Update your SEO plugin settings or sitemap generator to exclude a page from indexing.
Step 3: Submit the URL in Google Search Console for Removal
Even if it’s noindexed, submitting the URL via the Removals Tool can speed up the process.
Step 4: Remove internal links to the page
If other pages on your site still link to the now-deindexed page, Google may continue to crawl it. Remove those links if the page is truly outdated or irrelevant.
How to stop a page from being indexed in the first place
Sometimes it’s not about removing a page from the index. It’s about keeping it out to begin with. This is a great option for protecting pages you don’t want anyone to be able to find via Google, like internal pages or product delivery pages.
Here are three ways to stop a page from being indexed by Google in the first place:
1. Set pages to noindex
Use your SEO plugin to set a page or post to noindex right when you create it. Common use cases:
- Thank-you pages
- Confirmation pages
- Private content for clients
2. Disallow via Robots.txt
You can block entire sections of your site (like /private/ or /test/) from being crawled using the robots.txt file. This is best for development or internal use pages.
Note: Just because a page is disallowed doesn’t mean it can’t be indexed if it’s linked elsewhere—so pair this with noindex if needed.
3. Exclude it from the sitemap
Your sitemap is a signal to Google about which pages matter most. Don’t include thank-you pages, admin pages, or anything that shouldn’t be public-facing.
How managing indexed pages protects your SEO
Managing your website means managing what you want people to see and what you don’t. That way, you can protect your SEO by only sending people to pages that are useful to them and accurate to your business. By being intentional about what stays in Google’s index and what doesn’t, you make it easier for search engines to understand your expertise and easier for your dream clients to find the content that truly matters.
Whether you’re removing pages from the index to clean up outdated content or to protect private links, it’s one more way to build a sustainable, search-friendly foundation for your business.
Not sure which pages to keep or cut?
If your website needs a deeper clean-up or you’re unsure which pages to cut and which to optimize, an SEO strategy session can help you get clarity. We’ll map out what to deindex, what to keep, and how to make Google love your site again. Let’s chat.
