Advanced Concepts
Noindex Tag
A directive telling search engines not to include a page in their index.
On this page
What is Noindex Tag
The noindex meta tag or HTTP header tells search engines that a page should not be added to their index and therefore won't appear in search results. It's different from blocking crawling - the page is still crawled but not indexed.
Example
<meta name="robots" content="noindex"> on thank-you pages, admin pages, or thin tag/category pages.
How to apply it
Use noindex for: thin pages, duplicate pages, admin areas, staging sites, thank-you pages. Don't use on pages you want traffic to.
Tip:Noindex + follow lets Google crawl links on the page without indexing it. Useful for pages with good internal links but no search value themselves.
Track it in GSC Boost
GSC Boost reads your Search Console data and tells you what to fix first, with the clicks each fix is likely to bring. Start with the guide or sign up free.
Related terms
Robots.txtA file that instructs search engine crawlers which pages to crawl or avoid.IndexingThe process of storing and organizing crawled pages in search engine databases.
Related resources
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