A noindex tag tells search engines not to include a page in their search results. Google drops the page from its index after it next crawls the page and sees the tag. The page stays reachable by anyone with the link, and the tag does not stop crawling. It works only if the page is not blocked by robots.txt.
Why it matters
Some pages should exist for visitors but not in search, such as thank-you pages, internal search results, account screens and staging copies. Noindex keeps them out of results. The same tag, left on a page by accident, can quietly remove an important page from search.
How to do it
- Choose the pages. Typical candidates are order confirmations, login and account pages, internal search results and duplicate print versions.
- For an HTML page, add a robots meta tag inside the head:
<meta name="robots" content="noindex">
- For a PDF, image or other file, send an HTTP response header instead. Your server configuration can add it:
X-Robots-Tag: noindex
- Make sure robots.txt does not block the page. If crawlers cannot fetch it, they cannot see the tag.
- Inspect the page with the URL Inspection tool in Search Console. The result should report that indexing is not allowed because of a noindex tag.
- Wait for Google to crawl the page again. The page then leaves the results, and the Pages report lists it as "Excluded by noindex tag".
- To bring a page back, remove the tag, make sure it is crawlable, and request indexing.
You can combine directives, such as noindex, nofollow, but nofollow is rarely needed. Most sites only need noindex.
Crawvix's scan checks for accidental noindex.
Common mistakes
- Leaving noindex on after a staging site goes live, or leaving a CMS setting such as "discourage search engines" switched on.
- Adding noindex to a page while also blocking it in robots.txt.
- Putting noindex pages in the sitemap.
- Combining noindex with a canonical pointing elsewhere, which sends conflicting signals.
- Using noindex to protect private information. Use a login instead.
Frequently asked questions
How long until the page disappears from Google?
It happens after Google crawls the page again and processes the tag. That can take days or longer, depending on how often the page is visited.
Does noindex pass link value?
Do not rely on a noindex page to carry value to other pages. Keep your important internal links on pages that are indexable.
Does noindex hide the page from visitors?
No. Anyone with the address can still open it. Noindex only affects whether search engines list it.
Related guides
- Meta robots directives explained
- Excluded by noindex tag
- noindex vs robots.txt
- Noindex a staging site
To check your own pages for stray noindex tags, Try the free website sample.