Google’s John Mueller answered a query a few WordPress web site that was fully deindexed from Google Search after altering to a distinct webhosting platform. Mueller’s reply exhibits the place to start out investigating the explanation why that occurs.
Dropped From Index After A Web site Migration
A submitted query to the Google Workplace Hours podcast associated that their web site disappeared from the search engine outcomes pages after they’d migrated their web site from WordPress to “self-publishing” and that the location was subsequently deindexed.
The query could imply that they have been internet hosting the location on the WordPress.com managed WordPress platform after which migrated their web site away to a different net host, usually known as self-hosting.
Migrating a WordPress web site to a different net host takes just a few comparatively easy steps however it will probably go flawed at just about each step of the method.
Extra on migrating a WordPress web site later as a result of it’s related to the query.
John Mueller Solutions The Query
Mueller answered the query from the perspective of analyzing the web site itself, which is the perfect place to start out on this particular case. The reason being as a result of the query implies that the location can nonetheless be reached on-line.
That is the query:
“After the location was transferred from WordPress to self-publishing, virtually all publications disappeared from the index. The search outcomes are ‘0’.”
John Mueller responded:
“In case your web site dropped out of the search outcomes and is now not being listed in any respect, proper in regards to the time while you did a migration, then my guess is that your new web site is by some means blocking search engines like google and yahoo, or at the very least, blocking Google. I’d begin by analyzing the info within the Search Console, and dealing ahead from there.”
Search console could present the precise date that pages began dropping out of Google’s index and the rationale why they’re dropping out. Typical causes will be the pages are usually not discovered (404) or that Google was blocked from crawling by a robots.txt. These are the beginning factors for figuring out what’s taking place on Google’s aspect.
Diagnose If WordPress Is Blocking Google
This sort of drawback usually occurs when a WordPress web site is about to be hidden from the various search engines, which suggests there’s a robots.txt entry that’s blocking search engines like google and yahoo from indexing the location.
Google Search Console will inform you when that is taking place via the Web page Indexing Report which can present that the location is blocked by a robots.txt within the column of the report labeled “Why pages aren’t listed”.
If that’s the case then you possibly can really see this to be the case in your robots.txt file usually positioned within the root of your area, /robots.txt (instance.com/robots.txt).
If the web page is blocked by Robots.txt then it might be {that a} WordPress setting was utilized sooner or later within the migration to dam search indexing.
It is a setting that’s native to the WordPress admin panel that may be reached right here:
Settings 🡪 Studying.
There you’ll discover a setting referred to as “Search Engine Visibility” with a checkbox labeled Discourage search engines like google and yahoo from indexing this web site.
Screenshot Of WordPress Visibility Setting
If that’s the case then untick that field and also you’re performed.
If there’s a robots.txt entry that’s blocking search engines like google and yahoo however the above field isn’t checked then it could possibly be one other plugin doing that, like an search engine optimisation or migration plugin. If that’s not the case then perhaps whoever was serving to do the transfer inserted that entry during which case it’s a straightforward factor to obtain the robots.txt, edit the file in a textual content file editor then importing it again.
Different points could possibly be a failure to replace DNS settings to level to the brand new webhosting service or it could possibly be one thing on the net host aspect. Beginning the investigation at Google Search Console is sweet recommendation.
Take heed to Google’s reply right here on the 7:24 minute mark:
Featured Picture by Shutterstock/Roman Samborskyi
