One of the most frustrating challenges for website owners is dealing with the aftermath of a hack. After identifying and fixing the security breach, you may find that your website is still grappling with the hack’s effects, especially regarding search engine visibility. One common issue is that even after removing hacked pages, they may continue to generate 404 errors, and Google may take time to remove them from search results.

In this article, we’ll cover how to manage hacked page 404 errors effectively, what steps to take to ensure eventual removal from Google Search, and how to protect your SEO from the lingering effects of a hack.

Why Hacked Pages Generate 404 Errors

When a website is hacked, malicious pages are often created with the intent of manipulating search engines, spreading spam, or exploiting vulnerabilities. These pages can take various forms, such as fake product pages, phishing pages, or spammy blog posts. After the hack is fixed and the malicious content is removed, these hacked pages will often return a 404 (Not Found) error when Google or users try to access them.

404 errors are normal when pages have been deleted, but they can be problematic if they are left unmanaged, especially when these errors stem from previously hacked pages.

The Impact of Hacked Page 404s on SEO

404 errors by themselves don’t necessarily hurt your SEO. Search engines like Google understand that websites evolve, and some pages will inevitably be removed. However, when hacked pages generate numerous 404 errors, there are several potential impacts on your SEO:

• Crawl Budget Waste: Google allocates a crawl budget to your site, which determines how many pages Googlebot will crawl in a given period. If Googlebot is wasting time crawling non-existent hacked pages, it may limit the amount of time it spends crawling your legitimate content, leading to delayed indexing or reduced visibility for important pages.
• Poor User Experience: If users encounter broken links that lead to 404 errors on hacked pages, they may lose trust in your site. This can increase your bounce rate and reduce overall user engagement, both of which can negatively impact your rankings.
• Reputation Damage: Even after a hack is resolved, seeing remnants of hacked content in search results can harm your brand’s reputation. Users may hesitate to visit your site if they associate it with spammy or malicious behavior.

Best Practices for Managing Hacked Page 404 Errors

To minimize the negative impact of hacked page 404s and ensure that they are eventually removed from Google Search, it’s important to follow best practices for managing these errors.

1. Set Up Custom 404 Pages

A custom 404 page is one of the best tools for managing 404 errors caused by hacked pages. Instead of displaying a generic error message, a custom 404 page can guide users back to relevant content on your site, improving their experience and reducing frustration.

• Helpful Navigation: Include links to important categories, products, or popular blog posts. This encourages users to stay on your site and explore other content, even if the page they were looking for is no longer available.
• Search Bar: Adding a search bar to your custom 404 page allows users to quickly find the content they need, minimizing the impact of the 404 error.
• Friendly Messaging: Use friendly, empathetic messaging to explain that the page they are looking for doesn’t exist but that there’s plenty of other valuable content on your site.

A well-designed custom 404 page can mitigate the negative effects of hacked page errors and help retain users on your site.

2. Use 410 Status Codes for Permanently Removed Pages

When you remove hacked pages, using the correct HTTP status codes is critical. While a 404 status code indicates that a page is not found, a 410 status code (Gone) tells search engines that the page has been permanently removed and will not return. This signals to Google that it should remove the page from its index more quickly than it would with a 404 status code.

• Implement 410 Codes: Configure your server to return a 410 status code for hacked pages that have been permanently deleted. This helps accelerate the removal of these pages from search results.
• Advantages Over 404 Codes: Using 410 codes for permanently removed pages can lead to faster deindexing, as search engines prioritize removing pages that have been explicitly marked as “gone” over those that simply return a 404.

By implementing 410 codes, you help search engines understand that the hacked pages are permanently gone and should be removed from the index as soon as possible.

3. Request Removal via Google Search Console

Google Search Console offers tools that allow you to request the temporary removal of specific URLs from Google Search. This can be particularly useful for hacked pages that are still appearing in search results, even after they have been removed from your server.

• Submit Removal Requests: In Google Search Console, navigate to the “Removals” section and submit the URLs of the hacked pages. This will temporarily remove the pages from Google Search for approximately six months.
• Follow-Up Action: While this is a temporary solution, it gives you time to ensure that the hacked pages are permanently removed and that your site is thoroughly cleaned. After submitting removal requests, you can focus on addressing any residual issues and improving your site’s overall health.

Using the URL removal tool in Google Search Console ensures that hacked pages are quickly taken out of search results, reducing the likelihood of users encountering malicious content.

4. Monitor Internal and External Links

After a hack, it’s important to thoroughly audit your website’s internal and external links. If there are internal links pointing to hacked pages, Googlebot will continue attempting to crawl them, resulting in 404 errors. Similarly, if external websites still link to hacked pages, it could lead to crawl issues and negative user experiences.

• Internal Links: Use tools like Screaming Frog or Ahrefs to audit your internal linking structure. Update or remove any internal links that lead to non-existent hacked pages.
• External Links: Check for external backlinks pointing to hacked pages using tools like Google Search Console or Majestic. Reach out to the sites that link to the hacked pages and request that they update their links to valid URLs or remove the links altogether.

By ensuring that all links on your site point to legitimate, live content, you reduce the likelihood of Googlebot wasting time crawling non-existent hacked pages.

5. Submit Updated Sitemaps

Submitting an updated XML sitemap to Google is an important step in managing hacked page 404s. Your sitemap should list only the valid pages on your website, helping search engines focus on indexing the right content.

• Remove Hacked Pages from Sitemap: After removing the hacked pages, make sure they are no longer included in your sitemap. Submitting an updated sitemap with only legitimate URLs helps Googlebot crawl your site more efficiently and reduces the chances of outdated or hacked pages being crawled.
• Submit the Sitemap in Google Search Console: Once your sitemap is updated, submit it to Google Search Console to ensure that Google is working with the latest version of your site’s structure.

Keeping your sitemap accurate ensures that Google can focus on crawling and indexing the content that matters, rather than spending time on pages that no longer exist.

Ensuring Eventual Removal of Hacked Pages from Google Search

While hacked pages can linger in Google’s index even after they’ve been removed from your server, there are steps you can take to ensure their eventual removal:

• Regularly Check Google Search Console: Monitor the “Coverage” and “Removals” reports in Google Search Console to identify any lingering hacked pages that Google is still attempting to crawl. This helps you stay on top of any remaining issues and take action as needed.
• Use the Fetch as Google Tool: After cleaning up your site, use the “Fetch as Google” tool in Search Console to request a recrawl of the pages that were previously hacked. This encourages Google to update its index with the latest version of your content and remove the hacked pages more quickly.
• Monitor Your Site’s Performance: Keep an eye on your site’s overall performance, traffic, and rankings to ensure that the hacked pages are not negatively impacting your SEO. If you notice any ongoing issues, investigate further to make sure the hack has been fully resolved.

By being proactive and using the tools available in Google Search Console, you can accelerate the removal of hacked pages and restore your site’s SEO performance.

Conclusion

Managing hacked page 404s and ensuring their eventual removal from Google Search is critical to protecting your website’s SEO and reputation. By setting up custom 404 pages, using 410 status codes for permanently removed content, submitting URL removal requests, monitoring internal and external links, and updating your sitemap, you can minimize the impact of hacked pages and ensure they are eventually removed from search results.

For businesses recovering from a hack, Web Zodiac’s SEO Services provide expert guidance in cleaning up your website, restoring your rankings, and preventing future issues. With white-label SEO services and enterprise SEO services, we help ensure that your site is fully optimized, secure, and free from the lingering effects of a hack.