Table of Contents

Introduction

A website being deindexed by Google can be a nightmare for any website owner. If your site disappears from search results, it means Google has removed it from its index, making it invisible to users. The good news is that deindexing is often fixable. This guide outlines the steps to diagnose and recover a deindexed website.

Step 1: Confirm Deindexing

Before taking action, verify that your website has actually been deindexed.

Google Search: Type site:yourwebsite.com in Google. If no results appear, your site is likely deindexed.
Google Search Console: Check for messages regarding manual actions, security issues, or indexing problems.

Step 2: Identify the Cause

1. Manual Penalty

Google may have applied a manual penalty due to violations such as spammy content, unnatural backlinks, or security issues.

Go to Google Search Console → Security & Manual Actions → Manual Actions.
If a penalty exists, Google will provide details and instructions for recovery.

2. Robots.txt or Noindex Tags

Your website may be blocking Googlebot from crawling or indexing pages.

Check the robots.txt file for Disallow: / directives.
Look at page headers and meta tags for <meta name="robots" content="noindex">.

3. Server and Technical Issues

If your site was down for an extended period, Google may have removed it from the index.

Ensure your site is live and accessible.
Fix server errors like 5xx status codes.

4. Hacking or Malware

Google deindexes sites infected with malware to protect users.

Go to Google Search Console → Security Issues.
Use Google Safe Browsing to check for security warnings.
Remove malware and request a review in Search Console.

Step 3: Fix the Issues

1. Resolve Manual Penalties

Remove spammy content, unnatural backlinks, or policy violations.
Submit a reconsideration request in Google Search Console.

2. Fix Indexing Directives

Update your robots.txt file to allow crawling: User-agent: * Disallow:
Remove noindex meta tags where necessary.
Resubmit pages using Google Search Console → URL Inspection → Request Indexing.

3. Improve Site Quality

Publish high-quality, original content.
Optimize your E-A-T (Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness) factors.
Improve user experience and technical SEO.

4. Address Security Issues

Scan for and remove malware using Google Safe Browsing and security plugins.
Update all plugins, themes, and software to prevent future attacks.
Request a security review in Google Search Console.

Step 4: Request Reindexing

Once all issues are fixed:

Use Google Search Console to request reindexing.
Submit a sitemap.xml to speed up the process.
Continue monitoring your site to prevent future issues.

Conclusion

Recovering a deindexed website requires identifying the cause, fixing technical and policy violations, and requesting reindexing. By following these steps, you can restore your site’s presence in Google search results and prevent future deindexing.

How to Recover a Website That’s Been Deindexed