Google Search Console Changes URL Removal Language To “Temporarily Hide”

Google has quietly changed the language and action buttons in the Google Search Console, where you are able to remove content from the Google index.

The “Remove URLs” tool in the Google Search Console now says “temporarily hide” URLs, as opposed to the old language of “create a new removal request.”

While there was no change to the actual protocol or time the content would be removed from Google’s index after using this feature, Google must have felt the language scared webmasters away from using it. But changing the language to “temporarily,” maybe webmasters will use the feature more proactively.

In addition, some webmasters undoubtedly felt that the feature permanently removed content from Google. That was never the case, and by clarifying that language, Google would kill two birds with one stone.

Jennifer Slegg posted before and after screen shots of the page, so you can read the differences:

NEW Language:

OLD Language:

About The Author

Barry Schwartz

Barry Schwartz is Search Engine Land's News Editor and owns RustyBrick, a NY based web consulting firm. He also runs Search Engine Roundtable, a popular search blog on very advanced SEM topics. Barry can be followed on social media at @rustybrick, +BarrySchwartz and Facebook. For more background information on Barry, see his full bio and disclosures, click over here.