Some people would rather not be found in search. You might book by referral only, be taking a break, or simply want your page off Google for privacy. ApptOnly has a switch for that.
What the switch does
When you turn on Hide from search engines, your booking site tells Google and other search engines not to list it. It does this with a noindex instruction on the page itself. It also asks search engines not to follow links from your page to the rest of your booking site.
Your booking page is also taken out of ApptOnly's sitemap, the list of pages we hand to search engines.
Your link keeps working. Anyone you send it to can still open it and book.
Google notes that some search engines read the noindex instruction differently, so your page might still show up in another search engine's results.
Where to find it
- In the dashboard, open Settings.
- Under Practice, choose Cancellation Policy. This opens the Booking Page settings.
- Scroll to Search and link preview.
- Turn on Hide from search engines.
You can also get there from Settings, Share & Embed. Next to your booking link, choose Change what this link's preview says.
What you see when you turn it on
A confirmation asks Hide this page from search engines? It tells you that Google and the other search engines will be told not to list your address (for example yourname.apptonly.pro), and that your link keeps working. It also says: "Results already in Google fade over days or weeks. They do not disappear today."
Choose Hide from search to confirm, or Cancel to leave things as they are. Once it saves, you see Hidden from search engines.
While the switch is on, the booking page editor shows This page is hidden from search engines. with a Change link back to the setting.
Results already in Google
The switch does not pull a result out of Google on the spot. Google drops your page from its results the next time it visits the page and reads the instruction. Google decides when that visit happens. Its own documentation says that, depending on the page, a revisit can take months.
Nothing in ApptOnly makes this faster. Turning on the switch saves your choice and changes what your page tells search engines. It does not send a removal request to Google.
What Google's own tools can and cannot do
Here is how Google's removal tools apply to a booking page at yourname.apptonly.pro.
The Removals tool in Search Console can hide a page from Google results for about six months. It only works on sites you own and have verified in Search Console. Your booking page sits on apptonly.pro, which ApptOnly owns, so you cannot verify it and this tool is not open to you.
The Refresh Outdated Content tool is for people who do not own the site. You sign in with any Google account. It removes a whole result only when the page no longer exists. A hidden booking page still exists, because your link keeps working, so Google turns down a request to remove it.
What it can do is narrower. If a result shows text you have since changed or deleted on your booking page, such as an old phone number, you can ask Google to refresh that result. Google removes the outdated snippet, not the result. The snippet is refreshed the next time Google visits the page.
Results about you lets you ask Google to remove a result that shows your contact details, such as your address, phone number or email. You do not need to own the site. The information only needs to be about you. If your booking page shows your home address or a personal phone number, you can ask about that result. Google reviews each request and may decline it.
So what works for your booking page as a whole is the switch itself. Turn it on and leave it on. Google drops the result when it next visits your page.
When your booking page is paused
If you pause your booking page, it is hidden from search engines too, with the same instruction, whether or not the switch is on. A paused page also leaves ApptOnly's sitemap. When you unpause it, it can be listed again, unless Hide from search engines is on.
Turning it back off
Turn off Hide from search engines in the same place. There is no confirmation. It saves right away and you see Your booking page can show up in search again.
Your page stops telling search engines not to list it, and it goes back into ApptOnly's sitemap. Google decides when to list it again, so it will not reappear in results right away.
Link previews keep working
Hiding your page from search does not change its link preview. When you text your link or post it on social media, the title, description, and image you set in Search and link preview still show the same way.