What is a Meta Robots Tag?

It is an HTML code that instructs search engines on how to process and handle pages on your website.

By specifying directives within this tag, you can control whether search engines should “index” or “noindex” a page and whether they should “follow” or “nofollow” the links on that page.

This tag is crucial for guiding the crawling and indexing process, ensuring that your site is presented in search results as you intend.

What Are Robots Meta Tags Used For?

Meta robots tags serve several important functions:

  • Indexing Control: You can use the tag to tell search engines whether to include a page in their index (index) or exclude it (noindex). This is useful for preventing duplicate content or low-value pages from appearing in search results.
  • Link Following Control: The tag can instruct search engines to follow (follow) or ignore (nofollow) the links on a page. This helps manage how link equity is distributed across your site.
  • Content Management: It helps manage the visibility of specific sections of your website, such as login pages, thank you pages, or temporary pages, ensuring that only relevant content is indexed.

What Rules Can You Use in the Meta Robots Tag?

The meta robots tag can include several directives, each serving a specific purpose:

  • index: Tells search engines to add the page to their index.
  • noindex: Stops the page from being indexed by search engines.
  • follow: Tells search engines to click on the page’s links.
  • nofollow: Stops search engines from clicking on the page’s links.
  • noarchive: Prevents the page from being cached by search engines.
  • nosnippet: Prevents search engines from displaying a snippet or description of the page from appearing in search results.
  • noodp: Stops search engines from utilizing the page’s description from the Open Directory Project.
  • notranslate: Prevents search engines from offering translation options for the page.
  • unavailable_after: Specifies a date after which the page should not be indexed.

How Do Robots Meta Tags Affect SEO?

The meta robots tag can have a significant impact on SEO:

  • Control Over Indexing: By using the noindex directive, you can prevent specific pages from being indexed, which helps manage duplicate content and focus link equity on important pages.
  • Link Equity Distribution: The nofollow directive can be used to control the flow of link equity, ensuring that only valuable pages receive it.
  • Content Visibility: The proper use of meta robot tags ensures that only relevant and valuable content shows in search results, thereby increasing the overall quality of your indexed pages.
  • Page Speed and Crawl Efficiency: By excluding low-value pages from being indexed or crawled, you can improve your site’s crawl efficiency and page load times.

How do you set up the Meta Robots Tag?

Setting up the meta robots tag involves adding the appropriate HTML code to the head section of your webpage. Here’s how you can do it:

1. Basic Syntax

The basic syntax for a meta robots tag is as follows:

<meta name=”robots” content=”index, follow”>

This tag instructs search engines to index the page and follow the links on it.

2. Noindex and Nofollow

To prevent indexing and link following, use:

<meta name=”robots” content=”noindex, nofollow”>

3. Combination of Directives

You can combine multiple directives as needed:

<meta name=”robots” content=”noindex, nofollow, noarchive”>

4. Implementation

Add the meta robots tag to the <head> section of your HTML document:

<meta name=”robots” content=”noindex, nofollow”>

5. Page-Specific Directives

Use different directives on different pages based on their importance and relevance to your SEO strategy.

Best Practices for Using Meta Robot Tags

  • Strategic Use: Apply noindex to pages that are not valuable for search engines, such as thank you pages or login pages.
  • Regular Audits: Conduct regular audits to make sure that meta robots tags are correctly implemented and align with your SEO goals.
  • Avoid Overuse: Do not overuse nofollow on internal links, as it can hinder the natural flow of link equity within your site.
  • Consistent Updates: Keep your meta robots tags updated as your site evolves to ensure they reflect your current SEO strategy.