Meta robots tags are HTML snippets whose role comes when the Google Crawlers or Search Engine Robots come to your website’s doorstep. They directly tell those crawlers which web pages they should index, follow links, index images, language-translation permits, and many other technical permissions.
These are some of the most important aspects of websites that businesses should not ignore. If someone doesn’t do this then many unwanted pages may get indexed by those crawlers.
These can be your about pages, thank you pages, low-quality pages, wrongly or badly content-written pages, duplicate content pages, and many more.
Also Read: SEO-Friendly URLs
Some crawling or indexing derivatives are legal and ethical to use. Let’s see what those are.
- all – it specifies permission to follow and index all pages. This is something that is not supposed to be done.
<meta name=”robots” content=”all”>
- noindex – it means these pages will not be indexed or shown in search engine results.
<meta name=”robots” content=”noindex”>
- nofollow – stops crawling all links on pages.
<meta name=”robots” content=”nofollow”>
- none – both nofollow and noindex roles are done here.
<meta name=”robots” content=”none”>
- noarchive – prevents from showing cached old pages in case of no loading of current pages
<meta name=”robots” content=”noarchive”>
- nosnippet – not show meta descriptions
<meta name=”robots” content=”nosnippet”>
- max-snippet: – used to put a limit on the amount of preview text on your pages
<meta name=”robots” content=”maxsnippet:100”>
- max-image-preview: – customize the size of your preview image on SERP
<meta name=”robots” content=”max-image-preview:large”>
- max-video-preview: – same as above but with a duration of videos on your page
<meta name=”robots” content=”max-video-preview:10”>
- notranslate – it means the same thing, to not translate that page
<meta name=”robots” content=”notranslate”>
- noimageindex – prevent images from your page from showing on SERP
<meta name=”robots” content=”noimageindex”>
- unavailable_after: – stop showing any particular page after the scheduled time
<meta name=”robots” content=”unavailable_after: Wednesday, 05-Nov-25 12:00:00 GMT”>
- nositelinkssearchbox – prevent from showing any search bar for your page in the SERP
<meta name=”robots” content=”nositelinkssearchbox ”> - indexifembedded – index the page only when it is embedded with any other pages
<meta name=”robots” content=”indexifembedded ”>
Why Are Meta Robot Tags So Important for SEO?
Meta robot tags give you the power to control your site’s presence on search engines. Here’s why that matters:
They Prevent Duplicate Content Issues:
Duplicate content can confuse search engines and hurt your SEO rankings. By using robot tags, you can prevent certain pages (like “thank you” or printer-friendly versions) from being indexed, ensuring that search engines focus on the unique content you want to rank.
They Help You Manage Link Authority:
Not every link on your site should pass “link juice,” or authority, to other pages. By setting links to “nofollow,” you can prevent authority from being transferred to pages like login areas or other non-important pages, keeping your link power directed to pages that matter most for SEO.
They Give You Control Over Your Search Appearance:
Meta robots tags let you decide if certain pages should show up in search results. This can be helpful for controlling your brand’s online image, especially if you want to hide specific sections or test pages from the public eye.
Important Note: Now if you want to drive organic traffic with a powerful SEO content strategy designed to optimize search rankings, engage users, and increase visibility.
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FAQs
Q: What are meta robots tags?
Ans: Meta robots tags are those derivatives that give instructions to Search Engine Robots or Crawlers about web pages for display at SERPs.
Q: What is the difference between robots.txt and meta robots tags?
Ans: Robots.txt is created for the whole website while meta robots tags are applied only to pages containing the same tags.
Q: Can I use all the meta robots tags for my pages?
Ans: No, you cannot use all the meta robots tags. Many of them are banned or named illegal by Google’s community guidelines.
Q: What’s the difference between “index” and “noindex”?
Ans: index: Allows the page to appear in search results.
noindex: Prevents the page from appearing in search results, which is useful for pages you don’t want to be publicly visible, like admin or thank-you pages.
5. How do I add a meta robots tag to my webpage?
Ans: In the <head> section of your page’s HTML, add a meta tag like this:
Q: Will using “noindex” prevent my page from appearing in all search engines?
Ans: Yes, “noindex” should work across all major search engines, including Google, Bing, and Yahoo, and will prevent that page from showing up in their search results.
Q: Are meta robots tags mandatory for all pages?
Ans: No, meta robots tags are optional. Use them only when you need to control a page’s visibility, indexing, or link-following behaviour. Pages you want indexed and followed don’t need a robot tag, as search engines will do so by default.
Check this out also: Why SEO Really Matters for Your Business?
