Noindex
Noindex controls inclusion in search engines that support the instruction. The crawler must be able to read it; it does not replace access protection.
A website can use noindex to prevent search engines that support the instruction from indexing content. Google supports it in a meta tag or HTTP response header. The instruction controls inclusion in search, rather than permission to read the page.
The instruction must be accessible
In a fictional design, a publicly accessible preview page should not appear in Google Search. The instruction is planned for that purpose. If robots.txt also prevents the page from being fetched, Googlebot cannot read the instruction served there. Saving the file does not mean the search system has already processed the added instruction.
Separate search control from confidentiality
Google explains the crawling needed for Noindex to take effect. For confidential content, Google describes separate access protection. First establish whether the page may remain publicly accessible. Noindex alone is not sufficient protection for a private customer page.
Sources
Related terms
- Indexing statusIndexing status describes a URL’s inclusion in a search index. It is distinct from reachability and visibility for a particular search.
- Crawl budgetCrawl budget describes which URLs Google can and wants to fetch. Server capacity and crawl demand work together.
- Robots directiveRobots directives give indexing or presentation rules to search engines that support them. The crawler and the delivery route also matter.
- HreflangHreflang identifies related language or regional versions of a page for search engines.
- Canonical URLA canonical URL is the preferred address for identical or very similar content; search engines assess several signals when choosing it.
- Technical SEOTechnical SEO addresses the technical conditions that let search engines fetch, understand and index suitable pages.
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