noindex
A meta tag directive that tells search engines not to include a page in their index.
Key takeaways
- noindex is a meta tag directive that tells search engines not to include a page in their index.
- Apply noindex to thank-you pages, internal search results and account areas.
- Avoid: shipping a staging noindex to production.
What is noindex?
Use noindex for thank you pages, internal search results, and staging environments. Do not use it on pages you also block in robots.txt — the crawler must access the page to read the directive.
Google explains the difference between blocking crawling and blocking indexing in its guide to noindex.
Why noindex matters for SEO in 2026
noindex keeps a page out of search results while still letting crawlers visit it. Used well, it keeps thin and utility pages from diluting your site; used carelessly, it removes pages you need.
For a wider view of where this fits, see our full SEO glossary or explore the SEO and GEO service we run for clients.
How to apply noindex on your site
Knowing the concept is only half of it. Work through these steps in order to put noindex into practice on your own pages:
- Apply noindex to thank-you pages, internal search results and account areas.
- Keep noindexed pages crawlable so search engines can see the directive.
- Check the Pages report in Search Console for anything excluded by noindex unexpectedly.
Common mistakes to avoid
Most sites that struggle with noindex fall into the same traps. Check your pages against each of these before moving on:
- Shipping a staging noindex to production.
- Combining noindex with a robots.txt block, so the tag is never seen.
- Noindexing pages that still appear in the sitemap.
Questions about noindex
A meta tag directive that tells search engines not to include a page in their index.
noindex keeps a page out of search results while still letting crawlers visit it. Used well, it keeps thin and utility pages from diluting your site; used carelessly, it removes pages you need.
Start here: apply noindex to thank-you pages, internal search results and account areas. Then keep noindexed pages crawlable so search engines can see the directive.
The most common is shipping a staging noindex to production. Another is combining noindex with a robots.txt block, so the tag is never seen.