How To Fix Japanese Keyword Hack on Your Website

If your website has been compromised by a Japanese keyword hack, resulting in unwanted URLs indexed by Google, don’t worry. This step-by-step guide will help you clean your site, remove malicious content, and restore its SEO reputation.

Step 1: Temporarily Hide Malicious URLs in Google Search Console

1. Access Google Search Console: Navigate to the “Removals” tab.

2. Identify the URL Pattern: Look for patterns in hacked URLs, such as example.com/video/123456 or example.com/product/abc. For complex cases (e.g., infinitysoftsystems.com/2 or .shtml extensions), note all variations (e.g., /1, /2, etc.).

3. Request Pattern Removal: Select the second option (pattern removal) and enter the pattern (e.g., example.com/video/ or infinitysoftsystems.com/2). For multiple patterns, submit separate rules.

4. Wait for Processing: Google will hide these URLs from search results within 2–3 hours. This is a temporary measure (lasting up to 6 months).
   

Caution: If a legitimate URL matches the pattern, it may also be hidden. This is rare, as hackers typically use distinct patterns to avoid conflicts with existing URLs.

Step 2: Begin Website Cleanup

While Google processes the removal, start cleaning your website:

1. Check robots.txt: Hackers often add fake sitemap URLs to robots.txt. Delete the compromised file and upload a clean version, ideally without sitemap URLs for safety.

2. Fix Sitemaps: In Google Search Console, remove incorrect sitemaps and submit the correct one (e.g., example.com/sitemap_index.xml).

3. Backup Your Site: Before making changes, create a full website backup (excluding suspicious files) to avoid data loss.

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