As a website owner, it’s crucial to ensure that your website’s content is accurate and up-to-date. However, even if you edit or delete outdated content from your website, it can still show up in Google search results as part of the cache or featured snippets for weeks or even months.
To solve this issue, Google offers a “Remove Outdated Content” tool in Google Search Console, which allows website owners to manually request the removal of outdated content from Google’s search results.
To use the tool, you need to first navigate to Google Search Console and find the “Remove Outdated Content” tool. It’s set up as a form, making it easy to use. Alternatively, you can search for “outdated content removal tool” on Google, and the search engine will lead you to the right place.
Once you have access to the tool, you can start submitting requests to remove outdated content. However, before you do so, it’s important to know when to use the tool and when not to.
You should only use Google’s tool to remove outdated content in the following circumstances:
- You don’t own the page the content appears on, but it has outdated information about your business. If you’re the page owner, you can ask Google to recrawl the page or hide it.
- The page or image has already been removed or is significantly different from the current version.
- Misinformation from outdated content can harm your business, particularly if you’re in the food or medical industry where keeping information up-to-date is critical.
Here are some more specific situations where you might want to use the “Remove Outdated Content” tool:
- You or a client have stopped offering a product/service, but the pages and images continue to appear in Google search results.
- Your business has changed location or contact information.
- Promotional material (usually an image) showing a price or offer for a product/service has changed significantly.
- The page owner refuses or does not respond to your request to remove outdated content.
On the other hand, there are some cases in which you shouldn’t use the tool, including:
- The content is still useful. If the content drives traffic and is still relevant and correct, then you shouldn’t remove it. Make sure that it really is outdated or incorrect before using the tool.
- You think the information on the page or image should be removed for legal reasons. If so, use the features on this page.
- You are a verified page owner. If you are the owner, you can make any necessary changes to outdated content yourself.
- The page or image is still active and just needs to be crawled again. You can ask Google to recrawl your URL here.
After submitting your request, you can monitor the progress in Google Search Console. Requests normally take 24 hours to process, and you’ll be able to see the status of your request in one of the following categories: Pending (in the process of being processed), Approved (approved and active in the search results), or Denied (the request was not approved).
It’s important to note that all requests are checked manually by Google, so it may take several days or weeks for the outdated content and related caches to be deleted, depending on the crawl rate of the web.
It’s also important to note that the “Remove Outdated Content” tool is not a guarantee that the outdated content will be removed from Google’s search results. Google still retains the right to keep the content in search results if they deem it relevant and useful for users. However, it is still worth submitting a request, as it increases the chances of the outdated content being removed.
In addition to using the “Remove Outdated Content” tool, website owners can also take other steps to ensure that their content is up-to-date and accurate. One effective method is to regularly audit and review all pages on your website and update any outdated information or broken links. This not only helps with SEO but also ensures that your visitors are getting the most accurate and relevant information possible.
It’s also important to note that while removing outdated content can be helpful, it’s not always necessary or the best course of action. In some cases, outdated content may still be useful or relevant, and removing it may actually harm your website’s SEO and user experience. It’s important to carefully evaluate each page and make a decision based on its usefulness and relevance before deciding to remove it.
In summary, the “Remove Outdated Content” tool is a useful feature in Google Search Console that allows website owners to manually request the removal of outdated content from Google’s search results. However, it’s important to use the tool judiciously and only in cases where the outdated content is harmful or irrelevant. Regularly auditing and updating your website’s content is also important for maintaining accuracy and relevance for both users and search engines.
