Google updates webmaster tools - introduction of improved content removal tools

April 18th, 2007

Google has just annoumced a raft of new services to the Google webmaster tools, particularly tackling requests for page removal, directory or subdirectory removal or indeed complete site removal. Obviously many of these improvements tackle issues which may arise after your site has been indexed, however this is still a significant improvement in terms of functionality.

For sites that you’ve verified ownership for in your webmaster tools account, you’ll now see a new option under the Diagnostic tab called URL Removals. To get started, simply click the URL Removals link, then New Removal Request. Choose the option that matches the type of removal you’d like from the following options:

• Individual URL’s, web pages or images or other files
• A directory or sub directory on your site
• Your entire site
• Cached copy of a search result

Individual URLs, web pages, images or other files
Choose this option if you’d like to remove a URL or image. In order for the URL to be eligible for removal, one of the following must be true:

• The URL most return a status code of either 404 or 410.
• The URL must be blocked by the site’s robots.txt file.
• The URL must be blocked by a robots meta tag.

Obviously if all of the above do not apply, your page will only be reindexed again… common sense really

Removing a directory
Choose this option if you’d like to remove a directory or sub directory. As with the deletion of individual files, the directories should not be indexable (ie advised by your robots.txt file that they are not to be indexed.)

To remove a folder simply provide the path to the folder/directory you wish to remove ie:

For instance, if you request removal of the following:

http://www.example.co.uk/testfolder

type testfolder after the path provided in the Webmaster Tools interface.

Removal of an entire site
Choose this option only if you want to remove an entire site from the Google index. This option will remove all subdirectories and files.

To use this option, you must block the site using a robots.txt file.

Note:
Do not use this option to remove the non-preferred version of your site’s URLs from being indexed.

If you want all of your URLs indexed using the www version, specify the version you want indexed using the Preferred domain tool in the Webmaster Tools system(and do a 301 redirect to the preferred version, if possible).

Other changes introduced to ther Webmaster interface include:

• Advise of changing of page content
• Checking status of removal requests
• Advise to reinclude content
• Requesting removal of content you do not own

All in all this provides both Search engine marketing specialists and webmasters with a very useful set of tools in order to administer the indexation of their site more effectively.

To read the full google blogpost click here

Other reading:

Search Engine Land - Google introduces improved content removal tools 

Managing Google results

Entry Filed under: SEO Industry, Search Engines, SEO