Improved Definition for Noindex
Noindex: A meta tag or HTTP header instructs search engines like Google and Bing not to index a specific webpage. When a webpage is marked with noindex, it will not appear in search engine results pages (SERPs).
Key characteristics:
- Indexing control: Provides website owners control over which pages are indexed and which are not.
- Visibility management: Helps manage the visibility of certain pages, such as temporary content, internal tools, or low-quality pages.
- SEO optimization: This can be used strategically to improve a website’s overall (SEO): by focusing on indexing high-quality pages.
Examples of when to use noindex:
- Temporary content: Pages only available for a limited time, such as landing pages for specific promotions or events.
- Internal tools: Pages intended for internal use only, such as administrative dashboards or employee resources.
- Low-quality content: Pages with thin or duplicate content that may not provide value to users.
- Canonicalization: To indicate the preferred version of a page when multiple versions exist (e.g., different URLs for the same content).
Implementation methods:
- Meta tag: Adding the
<meta name="robots" content="noindex">tag to the<head>section of the HTML page. - HTTP header: Setting the
X-Robots-Tagheader to “noindex” in the server response.
By strategically using noindex, website owners can control the visibility of their content in search engine results and optimize their SEO efforts.