IndexingPublished30.04.2026

Noindex

A meta robots directive that forbids search engines from indexing a page.

In brief

Noindex is a directive for search robots that forbids adding a page to the index. It is implemented via the meta robots tag or the X‑Robots‑Tag HTTP header. Used for duplicates, cart pages, and utility pages (user account, search results).

What is noindex

Noindex is a directive that tells search engines: 'do not add this page to the index'. The page may remain crawlable, but it will not appear in search results.

Implementation methods

  • <meta name="robots" content="noindex"> — in the <head> section of an HTML page
  • X-Robots-Tag: noindex — HTTP header (for PDFs, images, non‑HTML files)

When to use noindex

  • Duplicate pages (e.g., print versions, sorting parameters)
  • Shopping cart page
  • Utility pages (user account, search results, captcha)
  • Temporary campaign pages (after the campaign ends)

Removal time

Noindex does not remove a page from the index instantly. You must wait for the next bot visit, which will see the directive and drop the page from the index. In Google, this typically takes several days to weeks.

Relationship with other directives

  • canonical — if the page is already indexed, canonical is better to consolidate link equity
  • robots.txt — blocking via robots.txt prevents crawling, so Google won’t see the noindex directive. Do not combine both.
Never block pages in robots.txt if you have set noindex on them. Google won’t be able to read the noindex, and the page may remain indexed.
FAQ

Common questions

Typically 1–2 weeks. You can speed it up by requesting recrawling in GSC (URL inspection → request indexing).
Yes: <meta name="robots" content="noindex, nofollow">. This blocks both indexing and link following on the page.
If the page is a duplicate and you never want it in the index again — noindex. If you want to consolidate multiple pages’ link equity into one — canonical.
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