Getting rid of the undead

How to remove a page from the Google index that doesn't exist?

[menyak]

Google has an automatic URL removal system that allows you to remove pages if you can access them and insert certain meta tags. However, how can you remove a page that doesn't exist?

My problem is that my site got hacked last month. After finding out, I deleted all the "evil" files, but now I discovered that there's a hacker page in the Google index that originates from my domain. I would suspect that Google knows quite well that it's a hacker page, so it might take years until googlebot goes there again. However, if Googlebot doesn't go there, it won't know that the page doesn't exist anymore and it will stay in the index forever. Any solutions?

[caine]

Email Google Tech chaps, and tell them what you've just stated, and the offending article, and they will delete it most promtly.

[NFFC]

Can't you just put a page there and use the removal procedure?

[menyak]

NFFC, the original page was in my /%20/%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20/ %20%20%20%20%20%20/o2php/ directory! Getting it out of there was fairly difficult, but I don't think I would want or even be able to recreate something as stupid as that (and if I could, it would probably take me all day). Anyway, the fact that it's in Google disproves that Google cares about directory names and/or structures when spidering pages, doesn't it? ;)

Caine, any chance you can give me the correct address? Thanks!

[gsx]

[services.google.com:8882...]

You don't need to replace the file, but you will need to block that file using a robots.txt file. All info is on www.google.com/remove.html. To easily get the URL again, find a result in Google with the search and copy and paste the URL from the SERP.

P.S. You could block the initial directory using robots.txt

[menyak]

me = stupid. Thanks gsx, I've been to that very same page but somehow thought I would have to enter those meta tags. Think I can push it on the fact that I have a cold and a slight temperature - submitted the removal request, back to bed now. :)

[GoogleGuy]

Yah, that's exactly what the automatic url removal tool is for: so webmasters can remove their own pages that they don't want up, without even contacting Google.

GoogleGuy makes the conceptual leap that 3% of this audience will immediately jump to and says "And no, you can't use this tool to remove someone else's pages. ;)"