Manually delete Google search results: here's how to do it!

Previously, with the old Google Search Console, you could manually delete a search result in Google. Until recently, with the new Search Console, you no longer had that power over your own pages or URLs.

But in the meantime, I guess I can do it again. So I think it's time for a blog.

Disclaimer: unfortunately, if you want to remove something from Google that is not on your website, you cannot use this method. With this method, you can only remove something that is on your own website.

Why would you want to remove search results from your website from Google?

It happens to everyone sometimes, you accidentally published a page and two weeks later the page shows up in Google.

Even though this is a new product, which you don't want to launch for a few months. Or maybe you want to remove an article, which you've also since redirected to another page, from Google because that information is no longer accurate or outdated.

In short, there are plenty of reasons why you might want to remove a search result from your website from Google.

Note that with the method I am about to explain, you only have power over your own pages and URLs. So you cannot use this to remove pages from other websites from Google.

Here's how to manually remove a search result from Google with Search Console

Before you can start this method, you need Google Search Console. This is, in fact, a Google tool that gives you more control over your website's presence within Google.

And let that be the very tool where you can make your page disappear from Google. I have already written a blog about creating and setting up Search Console correctly. You can find it here:

Tutorial: creating Google Search Console and adding your website correctly

This is also important to know before you want to manually remove a URL from Google

Before you manually delete a URL, though, Google would like to make sure you've done everything you can to make it right.

Should you want the page to exist but no longer show in Google? Set the page to noindex, add the appropriate disallow to your robots.txt and only then proceed with the method below.

Want to remove the search result altogether and don't need the URL to remain? Then delete the page, redirect the URL and only then proceed with the method below.

I'm going to walk you through deleting a URL now:

Step 1: Go to the Google Search Console website and log in to the appropriate Google account.

Step 2: Select the appropriate property (this is the website you want to remove the search result from) at the top left.

Step 3: On the left side of the row, click on "Deletions.

Step 4: Click on "New Request.

Step 5: Choose whether you want to temporarily delete the URL or cache it.

To make that choice, I have a tip for you: do you want the URL removed from Google? Then go for URL temporary removal.

Want Google to clear your page's cache and thus start the page with a sort of clean slate? Then go for Clear URL in cache.

Now I can hear you thinking: I don't want to remove my URL temporarily, I want to remove it forever. Unfortunately Google can't do that for you, but then again you do that yourself with the noindex and disallow I mentioned earlier.

Step 6: Enter the URL of the page you want to remove from Google.

Step 7: Decide if you want to delete only this URL or delete all URLs that begin with the URL you entered and click Next.

Step 8: Click on "Submit Request.

Step 9: Check today and tomorrow to see if Google has removed your page from indexing!

Removing a URL from Google is incredibly easy. Be careful with this, though, because it can also accidentally remove URLs that should not be removed.

My advice? When in doubt or if you want it done right, always hire an SEO specialist.

This article was written February 15, 2020 and updated April 23, 2023.