Smart Traffic SEO Tip #22 – Removing URLs from Google Index
You have already blocked the page using robots.txt file or meta noindex tag, still the pages you have blocked are still appearing in Google searches. What do you do next?
For this scenario, it is recommended to use URL Removal Request in Google Webmaster Tools. BEfore submitting this request there are 3 requirements to consider:
1. The page is blocked in site’s robots.txt file.
2. The page is blocked using the meta noindex tag placed in its source code.
3. The page is already returning 404 header status and displays a 404 page.
If the unwanted page meets one of the above criteria above, you can then remove it using the the following Removal tool. Note that in removing a whole site or a directory then the same process should be applied
All you need to do is login to Google Webmaster Tools account, go to this page – http://www.google.com/webmasters/tools/removals – enter the url you want removed and then confirm that the ‘Webmaster has already blocked the page’.
