What Does Deindexed Mean? Google Deindexing Explained

Deindexed means a page has been removed from Google's search index, so it no longer appears in Google search results, even though the page may still exist on its website. It is different from a page being deleted, and different from a page that is simply ranking low. This guide explains how pages get deindexed, how to check whether yours is, and what to do whether you want a page back in Google or want a damaging one out. One disclosure up front: we are Reputation Resolutions, and we offer Google deindexing as a service, so weigh our opinions accordingly.

What deindexed means

Google builds a searchable index of the pages it has crawled. A page that is in the index can appear in results. A page that is deindexed has been taken out of that index. The page itself still lives on the website, and anyone with the direct link can open it, but Google will not show it in search. Search results are pointers to pages, not copies of them, so deindexing changes the pointer, not the page.

Why pages get deindexed

The site owner asked for it. A noindex instruction in the page's code, or a removal request through Search Console, tells Google not to list the page. This is the most common reason and it is deliberate.

Google decided not to keep it. Google may drop pages that are duplicates, very low value, or blocked from being crawled properly, and a site that breaks Google's spam policies can receive a manual action that removes pages or whole sites from results.

Someone made a successful removal request. Google runs separate channels for personal-information requests, legal removal requests and outdated-content refreshes. An approved request removes the listing from Google's index, but not the page from the internet.

The page was deleted or broke. When a page returns a 404 or 410 error, Google usually drops it after it re-crawls. A technical problem such as a server error or a mistaken block can have the same effect.

Deindexed, noindexed and removed are not the same

Deindexed describes the result: the page is not in Google's index. Noindex is one way to cause it, a tag that tells search engines not to list a page. Removed from a website means the page is gone. A page can be removed from Google and still be live, and it can be removed from a website and still show in Google for a while until Google re-crawls.

How to check whether a page is deindexed

The reliable check is Google Search Console's URL Inspection tool, which tells you whether a specific URL is in Google's index and why not if it is missing. The Page indexing report lists pages that are not indexed and the reason for each. A site: search for the URL can give a quick hint, but it is not authoritative, so treat Search Console as the answer.

If your own page was deindexed

Work out why first. Check for a noindex tag or header, a robots.txt block, a server error, a manual action notice in Search Console, or duplicate or thin content. Fix the cause, then use URL Inspection to request indexing. Google decides how quickly to reindex, and it does not guarantee a page will return.

If you want a damaging page deindexed

Deindexing a page you do not control means convincing either the site owner or Google. Asking the owner to remove the page, or to add a noindex tag, is the most lasting route. Where that fails, Google's own channels apply only when your case meets their criteria, such as sensitive personal information, a legal basis or an exploitative site. Accurate, lawful content that a publisher will not move usually cannot be deindexed, and in that case the realistic option is suppression. Our guide to how to remove a Google search result covers each route, and our remove Google search results page explains how we handle it.