Eliminación de URLs

How to use Google Search Console to manage unwanted URLs?

Google Search Console is a powerful tool that allows us to effectively manage our URLs in Google search results. One of its essential uses is the removal of unwanted URLs, especially in situations where the information is sensitive or private. To use these functions, it is essential to have the website verified. Let's take a closer look at how to identify and remove these URLs.

Which URLs should you consider removing?

There are several situations in which you might want to remove a URL from search results:

• Sensitive Information: if any web page contains personal or confidential data.
• Low Relevance: URLs that do not have a clear purpose or are not searched for by users. For example, service policy pages or irrelevant content tags.
• Non-value-added pages: Any page that does not provide valuable information for the audience you want to reach.

How to find the URLs indexed in Google?

To identify all the URLs that Google's algorithm has crawled from your website, follow these steps:

1. Log in to Google Search Console.
2. In the main panel, look for the "Coverage" section.
3. Select the report that will show you the valid URLs, those that the algorithm has found.

An example of an unhelpful URL might be a tag like "Nike" that doesn't add significant value to the search results. It is crucial to thoroughly review all indexed URLs.

How to check indexed URLs manually?

Another useful practice is to use a Google search operator to find which URLs are actually indexed:

• Use site:my-site-web.com to list all URLs associated with your domain.

When analyzing the results, look for content that does not provide value or has been mislabeled, such as pages with English titles or uninformative categories.

How to deindex unwanted URLs?

Step-by-step process to de-index a URL:

1. Go to the "URL Removal" option in Google Search Console.
2. Start a new removal request.
3. If you need to remove all URLs under a subdirectory (such as /tags), choose the "remove all URLs with this prefix" option.
4. Verify that you are sure to block the URLs and submit the request.

Google will provide you with a status of the request, and once the change has been processed, it will reflect that the URL has been removed.

Advanced examples for identifying sensitive documents

In critical situations, such as exposing sensitive documents, you can use an additional operator to identify files as PDFs:

• Employ filetype:pdf in conjunction with the site: operator to list all files of type PDF that are indexed. Check thoroughly to ensure that none contain sensitive information.

For example, a file such as "servedelivery invoice value" should be removed immediately if it is indexed.

Final recommendations

Take some time to thoroughly analyze your URLs with the Google Search Console tool and using the operators mentioned above. Additionally, be sure to document any critical findings so that others can replicate your process and take necessary actions.

We encourage you to continue learning and perfecting your URL management skills. Sharing your experiences or any bugs found in the comments can benefit the entire community.