# Keep a page out of Google

> To keep a page out of Google Search, use noindex and leave the page crawlable. robots.txt alone can't do it, because Google must crawl the page to see noindex. For permanent removal, delete or protect the content; the Removals tool hides a page within a day, but only for about six months.

- URL: https://geo.casa/crawling-indexing/keep-out-of-google/
- Guide · Officially documented
- Reviewed: 2026-10-25

## Before you start

- Decide what you want: **not shown in Google** (noindex), **not accessible to anyone** (protect or delete), or **gone fast** (Removals tool, plus one of the others).
- Find every URL variant that serves the content (with and without parameters, different cases).

## 1. Use noindex, not robots.txt

> **Officially documented:**
> `noindex` can be set with a `<meta>` tag or an HTTP response header, and both have the same effect. When Googlebot sees it, "Google will drop that page entirely from Google Search results, regardless of whether other sites link to it."
>
> Sources: [Google Search Central: Block Search indexing with noindex](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/crawling-indexing/block-indexing)

```html
<meta name="robots" content="noindex">
```

```txt
X-Robots-Tag: noindex
```

## 2. Leave the page crawlable

> **Officially documented:**
> "For the noindex rule to be effective, the page or resource must not be blocked by a robots.txt file." If robots.txt blocks the page, the crawler never sees the `noindex` rule. Google does not support specifying `noindex` in robots.txt.
>
> Sources: [Google Search Central: Block Search indexing with noindex](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/crawling-indexing/block-indexing)

> **Officially documented:**
> A page blocked by robots.txt can still appear in search results without a description if other pages link to it.
>
> Sources: [Google Search Central: Introduction to robots.txt](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/crawling-indexing/robots/intro)

## 3. Need it gone quickly?

> **Officially documented:**
> The Removals tool can remove a page hosted on your site from Google's results "within a day". Requests last for only about six months, though. To make removal permanent, remove or update the content, password-protect it, or add `noindex`.
>
> Sources: [Google Search Central: Remove your site info from Google](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/crawling-indexing/remove-information)

## Verify

- Use Search Console's URL Inspection tool to confirm Google sees the `noindex` and is not blocked by robots.txt.
- Re-check after Google recrawls the page; until then the old result may still show.

## Rollback

Remove the `noindex` rule and request indexing in URL Inspection.

## Common mistakes

- Adding `noindex` **and** disallowing the page in robots.txt — the disallow hides the `noindex`.
- Relying on the Removals tool alone — the page returns after about six months.
- Using `noindex` to limit AI Overviews while wanting to stay in Search. For that, use snippet controls instead ([Snippet controls for AI Overviews and AI Mode](https://geo.casa/crawling-indexing/snippet-controls/)).

## Sources

- [Google Search Central: Block Search indexing with noindex](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/crawling-indexing/block-indexing)
- [Google Search Central: Remove your site info from Google](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/crawling-indexing/remove-information)
- [Google Search Central: Introduction to robots.txt](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/crawling-indexing/robots/intro)