If you own the site, use the Removals tool in Search Console to hide the page from Google within about a day, then make it permanent: delete it so it returns 404 or 410, add noindex, or put it behind a password. The block lasts about six months. Not your site? Use Google's Refresh Outdated Content tool.
| Method | Speed | Lasts | Who can use it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Removals tool, temporary removal | Within about a day | About six months | Verified site owner |
| Delete the page (404 or 410) | Next time Google crawls it | Permanent | Site owner |
| noindex rule | Next time Google crawls it | While the rule stays | Site owner |
| Password protection | Next time Google crawls it | While the lock stays | Site owner |
| Refresh Outdated Content | After Google reviews it | Until the page changes again | Anyone |
Updated
Removal has two halves: hiding the result now, and stopping Google from adding it back later. The Removals tool only does the first half. Answer the questions below to get the right combination for your situation, whether it is an old service page, a leaked file or someone else's outdated copy of your details.
A 410 status says the removal is deliberate. Here is how to send it from common servers for one retired page.
Uses mod_alias. The path is relative to the site root.
Redirect gone /old-price-listInside the server block for your site.
location = /old-price-list {
return 410;
}In Search Console, choose your property, open Removals, stay on the Temporary Removals tab and click New Request. Pick Remove this URL only for one page, or Remove all URLs with this prefix for a whole folder. The tool is case sensitive, so /Menu and /menu are different, but http, https, www and non-www versions of the address all match.
The request only hides results from Google Search. It does not delete anything from your server and does not affect other search engines.
Before the six months are up, the permanent fix must be in place. For a page that should be gone for everyone, delete it so the server answers 404 or 410. For a page that visitors still need but Google should not show, such as a client area, add a password or noindex.
Google's Removals help adds one subtle step: after the permanent change is live, unblock and then reblock the page in the tool, which clears it from the index if Google recrawled it while it was blocked.
Google's Removals tool help says a temporary removal lasts about six months. After that the page can come back unless you have also deleted it, added noindex or locked it.
No. Google says blocking a URL does not prevent crawling, only showing it in Search results. That is why you still need a permanent method behind it.
Not directly. Ask the site owner to update or remove it. If the page has already changed or been deleted but Google still shows the old version, anyone can report it with the Refresh Outdated Content tool.
It removes the page once Google crawls it and sees the rule, as long as robots.txt does not block it. Google's removal help notes noindex is less secure than a password, because people with the link can still open the page.
Removing a page that has no value usually does no harm. If the page had visitors or links, a redirect to a close replacement keeps that value rather than leaving people on an error page.
Related: Noindex tag, Soft 404, Google Search Console guide, How to get my business on Google, Robots.txt generator.
Start for free or see all free tools. We.Inc is free to start, with no card needed. AI building is on paid plans from $20 a month.
We.Inc is an AI-powered website builder you can resell under your own brand. Launch a branded client dashboard, bill on Stripe Connect, and deliver AI-generated websites in minutes. White-label plans start at $99 a month for 25 client sites, with a 7-day free trial and no per-site fees.