Introduction to Removing a Website from Google
Google’s search engine is a powerful tool that indexes and displays websites from all over the world. However, there are times when a website needs to be removed from Google’s search results. This can be a challenge, especially for those who are not tech-savvy. Recently, a person turned to Reddit for help in removing their old Canva website from Google’s search results.
The Problem
The person who started the discussion on Reddit had taken down their old website from Canva, but the search result on Google still existed. They were not sure how to remove it and were seeking advice from the community. They wrote: "I am not a tech-savvy person, I just use Canva for design. I’ve been reading every piece of literature I can find on how to fully remove my old website from Google search results."
Solution Provided by the Community
One of the Redditors provided a link to a Google help page that offers information about removing sites, pages, and images from Google Search using the Refresh Outdated Content tool. This tool is for situations where web pages and images no longer exist or pages with sensitive content that was deleted. The Google support page explains that the tool can be used if the page or image no longer exists or is significantly different from the current version of the page or image.
Google’s Response
Google’s John Mueller responded to the discussion with an option that can be used if the person doesn’t have a verified site on Google Search Console. He provided a URL to a page that enables users to submit a website URL to be removed from Google’s search results. However, he noted that this method is slower than doing it through Search Console as a verified site owner.
Steps to Remove a Website from Google
To remove a website from Google, the following steps can be taken:
- Take down the old website from the hosting platform.
- If a new website exists, consider redirecting the old pages to the new ones.
- Use the Refresh Outdated Content tool to request Google to remove the outdated content.
Additional Advice from John Mueller
John Mueller also advised that if the person has a new website, they can check with their host to see if they allow redirects from the old pages to the new ones. This is a cleaner way to handle the situation, as it forwards any "signals" that have been collected with the old web pages. He also provided a link to a Google developers page that has more information about site migrations.
Conclusion
Removing a website from Google’s search results can be a challenge, but it is not impossible. With the help of the Refresh Outdated Content tool and the advice from Google’s John Mueller, it is possible to completely remove an entire website from Google’s search index without a Search Console verified account. By following the steps outlined above and seeking help from the community, anyone can remove their old website from Google’s search results and start fresh.