Good afternoon, colleagues
I need to remove from the index all DOC and PDF files that are included there. At the same time, I would like the files themselves to remain accessible to the user. I don't want to remove them completely.
Question: how to do this?
As far as I know, the most reliable way to delete pages is to install Robots tags, but it is impossible to put them in these documents (or is it possible?)
Other methods don't work:
robots.txt - ignored by Google, at least for regular pages, maybe not ignored for such documents?
deleting via a URL removal tool without deleting the files themselves will not help
Thanks for the advice and opinions
You're right, removing pages from the index while keeping the files accessible requires different approaches than traditional deletion methods. Here's how to handle your situation:
1. Prevent Indexing with Robots Meta Tag:
While robots.txt might not be ideal, robots meta tags within the documents themselves can be effective for this purpose. Here's what you need to do:
<meta name="robots" content="noindex">
This tag instructs search engines not to index the specific page containing the meta tag.
2. Use "noindex" in HTTP Headers (if applicable):
For server-side control, if your web server allows, you can also add the X-Robots-Tag: noindex header to the HTTP response for each DOC and PDF file. This approach might be more efficient if you have numerous files.
3. Password Protect Sensitive Files (optional):
If specific files contain sensitive information and you want to restrict access beyond search engines, consider password-protecting them using your web server's functionalities or the software you use to create these files.
4. Submit Removal Requests for Already Indexed Files:
While preventing future indexing is crucial, you also need to handle already indexed files. Use Google Search Console's URL removal tool to request removal of specific URLs (DOC and PDF file links) from the search index. This process might take some time, but it will eventually remove the pages from search results.
Important Note:
By combining these techniques, you can effectively prevent DOC and PDF files from appearing in search results while maintaining access for authorized users.
However, if you want to edit or delete pdf pages - here is the free tool you can check- https://pdfup.com/ru/delete-pdf-pages/file
