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Google: Length of Time to Remove URLs from Search Results

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Google tends to remove specific results from their search results fairly quickly when a site owner uses the page removal tool via Google Search Console, but just how fast is it?

The question came up on Twitter, with Google responding that it generally takes less than a day for Google to remove URLs.

Google also notes that a 30 minute removal turnaround time is too optimistic.  This is especially true as Google updates datacenters at different times, so as the removal is being processed, it is natural to see the number of pages indexed changing as the removal is being processed.

The site owner also followed up and confirmed it took Google 5 hours to remove the results once the removal request was submitted via Search Console.  He also mentions a spike in pages indexed after the removal tool was used, but that sounds like usual fluctuations when Google is crawling and indexing a new site.

As a reminder, the remove tool only works for 90 days.  So you will need to ensure you serve a 404 or noindex those pages before the 90 days is up, if you do not want Google to index those URLs in the future.

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Jennifer Slegg

Founder & Editor at The SEM Post
Jennifer Slegg is a longtime speaker and expert in search engine marketing, working in the industry for almost 20 years. When she isn't sitting at her desk writing and working, she can be found grabbing a latte at her local Starbucks or planning her next trip to Disneyland. She regularly speaks at Pubcon, SMX, State of Search, Brighton SEO and more, and has been presenting at conferences for over a decade.

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