The Process of Deleting a WordPress Site Explained
Deleting a WordPress site from the internet is not as straightforward as deleting server files. In this comprehensive guide, we will take you through the necessary steps to permanently remove your WordPress site from the web, leaving behind no traces. Whether you want to get rid of an old website or start fresh with a new project, following these steps will ensure that your site becomes almost impossible to find.
Step 1: Safeguarding Your Data with a Backup
Prior to deleting your site, it is important to create a backup. Having a backup can be extremely useful if you change your mind or need access to any deleted content in the future. Store the backup in a secure location so it can be retrieved if needed.
Step 2: Removing WordPress Files
The first step in deleting your WordPress site is getting rid of all associated files. This includes the WordPress software, themes, plugins, images, and media files. You can do this by accessing your WordPress hosting account’s dashboard and using the File Manager feature. Alternatively, you can use an FTP client if you’re familiar with it.
Step 3: Blocking Search Engines
To prevent search engines from crawling your website, you must create or edit a robots.txt file. This file instructs search engines not to index your pages. Keep in mind that while major search engines respect the robots.txt file, some lesser-known crawlers may choose to ignore it. To create the robots.txt file, you can use the File Manager in cPanel or FTP. Simply add the following lines to the file:
User-agent: *
Disallow: /
By adding these lines, you effectively disallow all user agents, including popular crawlers like Googlebot, from accessing any URLs associated with your domain name.
Step 4: Informing Search Engines of Your Site’s Removal
To inform search engines that your content is no longer available and has been permanently removed, you can make use of the .htaccess file. Start by creating a new file named .htaccess in your website’s root directory. Inside the file, insert the following code:
Redirect 410 /
Make sure to replace “example.com” with your own domain name. The code provided will redirect all requests to your website and display a 410 error, indicating that the content has been permanently removed. However, crawlers will still be able to access your robots.txt file.
Step 5: Expediting the Removal Process
Even after following these steps, it may take some time for search engines and caching tools to completely remove any trace of your deleted website from their indexes. To speed up the process, you can submit a cache removal request to ensure that cached versions of your site are promptly removed.
Step 6: Eliminating Wayback Machine Snapshots
The Wayback Machine, maintained by Archive.org, stores cached versions of billions of web pages. To permanently erase your site from the Wayback Machine, contact Archive.org and request the removal of any snapshots containing your content. Taking this step ensures that any previous snapshots of your site are eliminated and that your website remains undisclosed in future archives.
Conclusion
Deleting a WordPress site from the internet is a thorough process involving several important steps to completely eradicate any traces of your site. From creating backups to removing files, blocking search engines, and requesting removal from archives, these measures will make it exceptionally difficult to locate your deleted website and its content. Always remember to have backups, follow each step diligently, and maintain patience throughout the process, as it may take time to achieve the desired outcome.
