John Mueller, Google’s Senior Search Analyst, answered a question about domain expiration and the potential misuse of the Search console data that Google had never heard before.
August Google SEO office hours
Matt G. Southern from Search Engine Journal picked up on the question during the August Google SEO office hours podcast.
A site owner whose domain is about to expire expressed concern over the risk of their Search Console data being misused by the next owner.
The site owner asked Mueller if removing the domain’s URLs could prevent potential misuse.
The question:
- “I’m the site owner, and I can’t log in to Search console because my hosting and 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.”
An interesting question Google hasn’t heard before
Mueller said it was an interesting question he hadn’t heard before and gave a detailed answer about Search Console data.
Muller’s response:
- “This is an interesting question that I don’t think we’ve run across yet. The data in search console is not tied to users, so anyone who verifies a site later on will see that data. There’s no way to reset the data shown there, so you’d have to prevent the domain name from expiring. The advantage of this process is that you can re-verify in search console without any data loss.
To remove all content from search for a site that’s already removed from the server, you can use the domain verification for search console and submit a temporary site removal request. This doesn’t remove the site from the index, but it will prevent it from being shown for a period of time.
If you’re selling the domain name, it would be nice to tell the new owner of this removal request so that they can cancel it.”
Mueller’s key points
Mueller’s response hits on several key points that site owners whose hosting and site database have been deleted should know about.
- Search console data is not tied to users, so anyone who verifies the site later on will see that data.
- There’s no way to reset the data shown there.
- To keep the data, you must prevent the domain name from expiring.
- The advantage is you can re-verify your site in Search console without any data loss.
- To remove all content from search for a site that’s already removed from the server, you can use the domain verification for search console and submit a temporary site removal request.
Mueller also suggested informing the buyer of any active removal requests before selling a domain so they can undo it if required.
Why It’s Important
The question, “I want to remove all the URLs so that after my domain expires, a new owner can’t misuse it,” is relevant to any site owner considering selling (or losing) their domain.
The answer highlights what many site owners didn’t know, I.E., that Search Console data transfers from owner to owner, creating a risk of data misuse by whoever buys the domain. You can prevent that from happening when you no longer use your domain by keeping it. If, like the person who asked, you no longer have access to your website, Google allows you to temporarily hide it from appearing in searches using the Search Console.
