A noindex tag is a directive that tells search engines not to include a specific webpage in their search results. When a page has a noindex tag, search engines can still crawl it, but they won’t index or rank it.
The noindex tag is commonly used to keep low-value, duplicate, or private pages out of search engines like Google, while allowing important pages to remain visible.
How the Noindex Tag Works
When a search engine crawler visits a page with a noindex directive, it reads the instruction and excludes the page from its index.
Noindex can be implemented in two main ways:
- Meta robots tag (HTML)
<meta name="robots" content="noindex">
- HTTP header
X-Robots-Tag: noindex
Once processed, the page will not appear in search results, even if it has backlinks.
Why Noindex Tags Matter for SEO
Noindex tags are important because they:
- Prevent low-quality pages from ranking
- Reduce duplicate content issues
- Improve crawl efficiency
- Focus SEO value on important pages
- Help maintain a clean search index presence
Using noindex strategically can actually improve overall SEO performance.
Common Use Cases for Noindex Tags
Noindex tags are often used on:
- Thank-you or confirmation pages
- Internal search result pages
- Filtered or faceted URLs
- Login and account pages
- Staging or test environments
- Thin or outdated content
These pages don’t need to rank but still serve a functional purpose.
Noindex vs. Nofollow
| Noindex | Nofollow |
|---|---|
| Removes a page from search results | Prevents link crawling |
| Affects indexing | Affects link equity flow |
| Page can still be crawled | Links are not followed |
| Used for page control | Used for link control |
They serve different purposes and can be used together when needed.
Noindex vs. Canonical Tag
- Noindex: Removes a page from search results
- Canonical tag: Consolidates duplicate pages into one preferred URL
If you want a page gone from search results, use noindex.
If you want to choose which version ranks, use a canonical tag.
Best Practices for Using Noindex Tags
- Don’t noindex important SEO pages
- Ensure noindexed pages are still crawlable
- Remove internal links to pages that shouldn’t matter
- Use self-canonicals on indexable pages
- Monitor changes in Google Search Console
Common Noindex Mistakes
- Accidentally noindexing entire sites
- Blocking noindexed pages in robots.txt (prevents crawlers from seeing the tag)
- Leaving noindex on pages after launch
- Using noindex instead of canonical
- Forgetting to test after implementation
How Long Does Noindex Take to Work?
Typically, search engines remove noindexed pages after the next crawl. This can take a few days or weeks depending on crawl frequency.