Back in July, one of my own websites got hacked.

My team and I spent a couple of days cleaning it up. We removed harmful files, cleaned the database, and checked the site.

We thought we had handled it.

But we missed something that would cost us more time, stress, and possibly business.

The Site Was Clean. Google Still Had the Mess.

During the hack, someone had created tens of thousands of junk pages on our site.

Google had found those pages and added them to its search results.

We cleaned up the website, but we missed the trail those pages had left behind.

Over the next few months, our clicks from Google kept dropping.

I was frustrated. This website brings us business, and fewer clicks can mean fewer leads.

We couldn’t pin down the cause. I thought it might be another change in how Google ranks websites.

Then today, almost by accident, I saw a number in Google Search Console that stopped me:

170,000 pages.

My first thought was, “We don’t have anywhere near that many pages.”

My second thought was, “Did we get hacked again?”

Three Hours I Hadn’t Planned to Spend

We started digging.

We checked files, looked through the back end, and asked questions. We couldn’t find signs of a new hack.

Then we connected the dots.

These were leftovers from July.

The cleanup we thought was done still had a loose end. And we now had a possible reason for the drop in search traffic.

So the plans I had for today had to wait.

We spent the next three to four hours working through it. We updated site settings, changed rules in a file called .htaccess, and sent removal requests to Google.

It was work we needed to do. But it was also work I hadn’t planned for.

Finding the hack in July was stressful. Finding out we had missed part of the cleanup brought some of that stress right back.

Our Website Cleanup Checklist Has Changed

The biggest lesson for me was simple:

After a hack, check what’s on your website—and what Google still shows.

We’ve now added Google Search Console checks to our security and cleanup checklists.

Removing harmful files is one step. Checking for junk pages in search results is another.

I wish we had caught this sooner. But we’ve used it to improve our process, so we’re better prepared next time.

Things happen when you run a business. Sometimes they take over your day.

You deal with them, learn from them, and make the next cleanup more thorough.

Need Help With a Hacked Website?

If your website has been hacked, my team at Persyo can help with the cleanup. We also offer reliable hosting and ongoing website maintenance.

Get in touch with our team to talk about your website.