Noindex tag
What is a noindex tag?
A noindex tag is an HTML directive that tells search engines not to include a specific webpage in their search results. When you add this tag to a page, you're essentially telling search engines like Google: "Please crawl this page, but don't show it to anyone searching." It's one of the most direct ways to control which of your pages appear in search results without blocking crawler access to the page itself. This gives you precise control over your site's visibility while still allowing search engines to discover links and understand your site structure.
How does a noindex tag work?
The noindex directive can be implemented in two primary ways. The most common method is through a meta robots tag in the HTML head section of your webpage:
<meta name="robots" content="noindex">
This tells all search engines to exclude the page. To target specific search engines, you can replace "robots" with the name of a particular crawler (like "googlebot").
Alternatively, you can use an HTTP response header to send the same instruction:
X-Robots-Tag: noindex
This method works well for non-HTML files like PDFs or images. When a search engine crawler visits your page, it reads these directives before processing the rest of the content and honors your indexing preferences accordingly.
When should you use a noindex tag?
Noindex tags are valuable in several specific scenarios:
For duplicate or similar content pages that might trigger search engine penalties, like printer-friendly versions or multiple sorting options for the same products.
On administrative pages like login screens, thank you pages, or user profiles that provide little value to search users and could dilute your site's overall relevance.
For thin content pages that don't meet quality thresholds but still serve a purpose for existing users.
During site development or redesigns when you want search engines to discover your new structure but aren't ready to make pages public.
On paginated result pages where only the first page should appear in search results while preserving link equity through the series.
For premium content behind paywalls where you want search engines to know it exists without giving full access through search results.
What's the difference between noindex and other indexing directives?
Noindex differs from other common directives in important ways. Unlike robots.txt, which prevents crawling altogether, noindex allows crawling but prevents indexing. This distinction matters because pages blocked by robots.txt can still appear in search results if other sites link to them, while properly noindexed pages won't appear even with external links.
Canonical tags indicate preferred versions of similar pages but don't guarantee removal from the index. A noindex tag provides stronger assurance that a page won't appear in results.
The "disallow" directive in robots.txt only suggests crawling restrictions and doesn't directly control indexing. Search engines might still index URLs listed in disallow directives, especially if they discover them through links from other sites.
How can you check if noindex tags are working properly?
Verifying your noindex implementation requires patience and the right tools. First, use Google Search Console's URL Inspection tool to check how Google views your page. If working correctly, it will show "Excluded by 'noindex' tag" status.
You can also perform a site-specific search in Google using "site:yourdomain.com/specific-page" to see if the page appears. Remember that search engines need time to process noindex directives, so recently added tags might not take effect immediately.
Browser extensions like SEO META in 1 Click can quickly verify the presence of noindex tags on your pages. For HTTP header implementation, use tools like Screaming Frog SEO Spider or online HTTP header checkers to confirm proper setup.
Monitoring your overall indexed page count in Search Console can also help track whether your noindex strategy is working at scale across your site.