In a recent Reddit discussion, John Mueller, a prominent figure at Google, offered insights into how to remove an entire website from Googles search index, even without a verified account on Google Search Console. This revelation came after a Reddit user expressed frustration over an old website hosted on Canva that they wanted to completely erase from Googles search results.

The Redditor posted in the forum, stating, As a disclaimer, I am not a tech-savvy person; I just use Canva for design. Ive been reading every piece of literature I can find on how to fully remove my old website from Google search results. I took the website down from Canvas side, but I cant get the search result on Google to disappear. Is there a way to do this? Thank you! This inquiry highlights common challenges faced by individuals who lack technical expertise yet wish to manage their online presence effectively.

In response to the users query, another Redditor shared a link to a Google support page that detailed various methods for removing sites, pages, and images from Google Search. This page specifically mentions the use of the Refresh Outdated Content tool, which is beneficial for instances where web pages and images have been deleted or contain sensitive content that has been removed. Googles support documentation states:

Use this tool if you do not own the web page pointed to by Google. (If you own the page, you can ask Google to recrawl the page or hide the page.) AND the page or image no longer exists or is significantly different from the current version of the page or image.

Mueller elaborated on a method for those without a verified Google Search Console account. He provided a link to a page where users can submit a URL to request its removal. However, he cautioned that this method may take longer than removing the URL through the Search Console for verified site owners. In his advice, he emphasized the importance of ensuring that the old pages are no longer available online. He stated, It requires that your old pages are removed from the internet so youd need to take them down from wherever you were hosting your old website.

Importantly, Mueller also suggested that if the user has created a new website, they should consider redirecting the old pages to the new site. He mentioned that this approach is cleaner because it helps forward any signals associated with the old pages, which can be beneficial for SEO. For those interested in more technical details about site migrations, he pointed to a Google developers page that covers site moves when changing URLs. He noted uncertainty regarding whether Canva allows users to set up such redirects for their hosted sites.

The conversation on Reddit serves as a useful reminder of the complexities involved in managing one's digital footprint, especially for those who may not possess advanced technical knowledge. For individuals looking to maintain a positive online presence, understanding how to effectively remove outdated or unwanted content from search engines is crucial.

For further details, you can read the entire Reddit discussion

Hana Takahashi