How to Safeguard Your Search Console Data When Your Website is Down

Article Summary

When your website is unexpectedly taken offline due to issues like hosting failure or a lost database, your concerns may extend beyond just getting the site back up. One significant worry is what happens to your data in Google Search Console if your domain expires and is acquired by someone else. This exact issue was addressed during Google’s August 2024 SEO Office Hours episode. The user had submitted their question through a form, seeking guidance on preventing potential misuse of their URLs by future domain owners.

Understanding the Issue: Search Console Data and Domain Ownership

The core concern here revolves around the fact that Search Console data is tied to the domain itself, not to the individual who originally set it up. This means that any new owner who verifies the domain will have access to all the historical data stored in Search Console, potentially leading to misuse of URLs or other sensitive information.

The user’s concern was clearly articulated when they asked:

"I am the site owner and I can't log in to Search Console because my hosting and my site database have been deleted. I want to remove all the URLs so that after my domain expires, a new owner can't misuse it."

This question highlights a crucial issue: losing control over your domain can lead to unintended access to your Search Console data by future domain owners.

The Solution: Retain Domain Ownership and Manage URLs

To address this concern, the best course of action is to prevent your domain from expiring. By ensuring that the domain remains under your control, you can protect the data in Search Console and manage how it’s used. John Mueller from Google emphasized this point, explaining that:

"The data in Search Console is not tied to users, so anyone who verifies the site later on will see that data."

This confirms that keeping your domain active is the most crucial step in safeguarding your Search Console data.

Regaining Access and Temporarily Removing URLs

Even if your website is down, there’s still a way to regain control over your data and manage the visibility of your URLs in search results. Here’s the recommended approach:

Domain Verification via DNS

If you’ve lost access to your hosting or database but still control the domain, you can verify the domain in Search Console using a DNS record. This doesn’t require access to the website itself but just to your domain registrar. This step ensures that you, as the domain owner, can still access the Search Console data and make necessary changes.

Steps for Domain Verification via DNS in Search Console

Access Google Search Console:
- Visit Google Search Console.
- Log in with your Google account.
Add Your Domain:
- Click on the ‘Add Property’ button in the top left corner.
- Select ‘Domain’ as the property type and enter your domain name (e.g., example.com).
Get the DNS Verification Code:
- Google will provide a TXT record that you need to add to your domain's DNS settings.
Access Your Domain Registrar:
- Log in to your domain registrar (e.g., GoDaddy, Namecheap).
- Navigate to the DNS management section.
Add the TXT Record:
- Add a new TXT record with the value provided by Google.
- Save the changes.
Verify the Domain:
- Go back to Google Search Console and click ‘Verify’.
- It may take some time for the DNS changes to propagate, after which Google will confirm the verification.

Submit a Temporary Site Removal Request

Once you’ve verified your domain, you can submit a temporary site removal request in Search Console. According to Mueller, this doesn’t permanently remove the URLs from Google’s index but "will prevent it from being shown for a period of time"—typically six months. This is an effective way to manage the visibility of your URLs while deciding your next steps.

Example: If your domain example.com is still active but your site is down, you can verify it via DNS and submit a removal request to hide specific URLs like example.com/page1 from Google’s search results temporarily.

Steps to Submit a Temporary Site Removal Request in Search Console

Access the Removal Tool:
- In Google Search Console, navigate to the ‘Removals’ tool under the ‘Indexing’ section.
Submit a New Request:
- Click on ‘New Request’ and select ‘Temporarily Remove URL’.
Enter the URL:
- Enter the URL you want to temporarily remove from Google’s search results.
- You can choose to remove the URL for six months or clear the cached URL.
Confirm and Submit:
- Review your request and click ‘Submit Request’.
Monitor the Request:
- You can monitor the status of your removal request in the same section under the ‘Removal History’ tab.

Practical Considerations: Communicating with Future Domain Owners

If you plan to sell the domain, it’s essential to inform the new owner about any active removal requests you’ve submitted. This transparency ensures that the new owner can decide whether to keep the removal request or cancel it, restoring the URLs in search results.

Mueller pointed out:

"It would be nice to tell the new owner of this removal request so that they can cancel it if needed."

This ensures that the new owner is fully aware of any actions taken and can manage the domain accordingly.

Proactive Steps to Protect Your Data

The key takeaway from this scenario is the importance of retaining control over your domain to protect your Search Console data. The data remains tied to the domain, so by ensuring that your domain doesn’t expire, you maintain control over how your data and URLs are used. By following the steps of domain verification and submitting removal requests when necessary, you can safeguard your URLs from potential misuse even when your website is down.

This approach, as detailed in Google's SEO Office Hours, offers a proactive way to handle unexpected situations with your website, ensuring that your data remains under your control and that you can manage how your URLs appear in search results.

Acknowledgment

You can watch the full episode of Google's SEO office hours with this particular question starting at the 4:02 minute mark, on their official video. Watch the video.

Social Media Marketing Company