What Is a Noindex Tag? (And When to Use It for SEO)
Use Cases
Use noindex on tag or author pages to avoid thin or duplicate content from bloating your index footprint. This helps focus Google’s attention on your high-value pages.
Keep internal dashboards, client portals, staging environments, and test pages out of search. Noindex ensures your private content stays private.
Noindex can de-clutter old or irrelevant pagination, archive, or filter pages. It signals that these pages don’t offer unique value for searchers.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Does noindex stop a page from being crawled?
No. The noindex tag prevents indexing, not crawling. To block crawling, use robots.txt or combine noindex with a disallow directive.
Can I use noindex on pages with backlinks?
Yes—but be careful. If a page has valuable backlinks but is noindexed, it won't pass link equity to your site. Consider using rel=canonical instead.
Should thank-you pages have a noindex tag?
Yes. Thank-you pages don’t provide unique search value. Noindex them to avoid thin content and protect conversion funnels.
How long does it take for Google to remove noindexed pages?
Absolutely. Noindex doesn’t affect linking or user access—it only prevents the page from appearing in search results.
Can I still link to a noindexed page?
Use an SEO tool like Ahrefs or Screaming Frog, or inspect the page’s meta tags. You can also use Google Search Console’s URL Inspection Tool for confirmation.
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