In today’s fast-paced digital society, managing your website’s visibility on search engines is crucial for maintaining a positive online presence. Google Search Console provides powerful tools to help you control what content appears in search results. One such tool is the Removals feature, which allows you to temporarily block specific pages or content from being displayed in Google Search. This guide will walk you through the process of using the Removals tool effectively, ensuring you can manage your website’s search visibility with precision.

When and Why to Disallow Pages from Appearing in Google Search

There are times when we create a page for a specific purpose, but we don’t want it to be ranked or displayed in Google search results. This can happen unexpectedly when a page intended for internal use ends up being indexed by Google. Fortunately, Google provides a tool to block specific pages from being shown to the public. For instance, if you’ve created a page for ads and it accidentally ranks in Google, you may not want it to appear in search results. In such cases, you can use the Removals tool in Google Search Console to prevent Google from displaying that page.

How to Set Up Google Search Console

Accessing and logging into Google Search Console is straightforward and consistent across different types of websites, including WordPress. To begin, ensure you have access to your website’s Google Search Console. First, sign in to Google Search Console using the account associated with your website. If you’re new and don’t have a Google Search Console Property, follow these steps: search to create an account in Google Search Console, and once you access the GSC dashboard (as shown in the image below), click on the Search Console button located in the top right corner. This will take you to the new interface, which we will discuss in the next step.

Creating a Google Search Console Property

As you reach Google Search Console, you’ll notice two options to create a property: Domain (A domain-level property that Includes all subdomains (m, www, and so on) and multiple protocols (http, https, ftp)) and URL prefix (Includes only URLs with the specified prefix, including the protocol (http/https)). 

First we are going to create Property Using Domain: A Domain property is defined by using the root domain of your website along with any subdomains, except for “www.”

When creating this property, do not include the protocol (http/https) or any path (e.g., /some/path/). If you need to specify a protocol or path, you’ll need to create a URL-prefix property instead.

Here are some valid Domain property examples:

• blog.example.com
• example.com
• help.blog.example.org
• store.example.co.uk

Remember, don’t include the www prefix. Domain properties automatically capture both www and non-www versions of the domain. For example, if you enter www.example.com as your property, it will be set to example.com, including data from both www.example.com and example.com.

The second option, URL prefix, A URL-prefix property defines the beginning of a URL, meaning any URLs that start with this prefix will be included in that property. For example, if your URL-prefix is set to https://example.com/divi-layouts/, then the following URLs would be part of the property:

• https://example.com/divi-layouts/header-layouts
• https://example.com/divi-layouts/footer-layouts?type=custom&style=modern
• https://example.com/divi-layouts/modules/text-animation

Both processes are the same as explained above. In this case, we will use our domain. Paste your domain as shown in the screenshot below and press the Continue button. A new interface, labeled Verify Domain Ownership via DNS, will appear. From here, copy the TXT value, but do not cancel or verify just yet. We will proceed with the verification in the next step.

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Adding TXT Code in DNS Zone Editor

In this step, we will paste the TXT code into your website’s DNS Zone Editor. First, open your website’s database and locate the DNS Zone Editor. Once you find it, click on it, as shown in the screenshot below. You will see the Manage DNS Records section, which contains four blank boxes. In the first box, select TXT. In the second box, enter your domain as provided in Google Search Console. Paste the TXT value from Google Search Console into the third box, and leave the fourth box as it is.

Now, click the blue Add Record button to complete the process in the database. Keep in mind, DNS may show a message indicating that updates can take up to 24 hours to propagate. While it can take that long, most of the time, the changes occur within a few minutes. Stay connected, as only the final step remains.

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Verifying Your Google Search Console Property

The final step in creating a successful Google Search Console property is to return to Google Search Console where you previously left off. Now, simply click on Verify, as shown in the screenshot below.

Title: Verifying Your Google Search Console Property

Alt text: Complete the setup of your Google Search Console property by clicking the Verify button after adding the TXT code to your DNS records.

Final Results of Google Search Console Setup

As shown in the image below, if you see a confirmation message like this, it means your property has been successfully created. If you followed the steps correctly and your screen displays similar results, congratulations! You have successfully set up your Google Search Console property.

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Accessing and Using the Removals Tool in Google Search Console

Now that you have opened Google Search Console, the first step is to select the website domain for which you want to temporarily block a specific page from appearing in Google Search results. Once you have selected the Domain Property, scroll down and locate the Removals option. Click on it, as shown in the screenshot below. Then, select Temporary Removals and click on the red New Request button.

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Submitting a Temporary Removal Request in Google Search Console

After clicking on New Request, you will be directed to the Temporary Removal URL interface. Here, enter the URL you wish to remove in the designated URL box. You have two options at this stage:

• Remove This URL Only – This option will temporarily remove only the specified URL.
• Remove All URLs with This Prefix – This option will remove all URLs that share the prefix of the URL you entered.

Choose the option that best suits your needs (in this case, we selected Remove This URL Only). After entering the URL, click on Submit Request, and Google will temporarily block that URL.

It’s important to note that Google does not offer a permanent URL removal feature. The process described here applies only to temporary removals.

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Conclusion

To effectively manage your website with Google Search Console, start by creating a property and then use the Removals tool as needed. First, log in to Google Search Console or create an account if you don’t have one. Click on the “Add Property” button and enter the URL of the website you wish to add. You’ll need to choose between a Domain property, which covers all subdomains, or a URL Prefix property, which focuses on a specific URL. Next, verify ownership of the property using one of the methods provided by Google, such as uploading an HTML file to your website, adding a meta tag, or using your domain registrar.

Once your property is verified and set up, you can use the Removals tool to manage which pages appear in Google Search results. Navigate to the Removals tool under the “Index” section in the left-hand menu. Click on “New Request” to start the removal process. Enter the URL or URL pattern of the page you want to remove and select the appropriate removal option. You can choose to temporarily hide the URL, which will remove it from search results for about six months, or permanently remove it if necessary.

After submitting your removal request, monitor its status in the Removals tool dashboard. This will show whether the request is pending, completed, or if there are any issues. Finally, verify that the page has been removed by checking Google Search results. The removal process may take a few days to fully reflect. By following these steps, you can effectively control and optimize your site’s visibility and ensure that unwanted pages are managed appropriately.

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