Google: Search Console Data Stays Even After Domain Expiration

In the August edition of Google’s SEO office-hours Q&A video, John Mueller, Senior Search Analyst at Google, tackled an interesting question about domain expiration and Search Console data. This topic highlights the potential risks to Search Console data when domains change hands.

Imagine this: You’ve had a website for years, and you’ve collected tons of data about how it performs in Google searches. But now, for whatever reason, you’re thinking about letting your domain name expire. What happens to all that juicy data?

Here’s the scoop: Your Search Console data is like a loyal puppy – it sticks with your website, not with you. If someone new buys your old domain, they can see all the data you’ve collected over the years. Yikes, right?

Mueller broke it down for us:

• There’s no magic “delete all” button for your Search Console data.
• If you want to keep your data private, you’ve got to keep your domain.
• Even if your website is long gone, you can ask Google to hide it from search results for a while.

Mueller put it this way:

“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 reverify in Search Console without any data loss.”

So, why should you care?

Well, if you’re thinking about selling your domain or letting it expire, you need to know that your Search Console data isn’t going to vanish into thin air. It’s going to be there for the next owner to see.

Here’s what you can do:

• If your domain is about to expire, remember that the next owner will see your old data.
• Even if you’re not using your website anymore, it might be worth keeping the domain just to protect your data.
• If you can’t access your website, you can ask Google to hide it from search results for a while.
• If you’re selling your domain, let the new owner know about any requests you’ve made to hide the site from search.

By keeping these things in mind, you can better protect your data and control how your content shows up in search results, even if you’re saying goodbye to your domain. It’s all about staying one step ahead in the digital world!