Noindex Checker
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Start Getting Mentioned For $99/moHow noindex works
The noindex directive tells search engines not to include a specific page in their search results. Unlike robots.txt which blocks crawling entirely, noindex allows search engines to crawl and read the page, but they won't show it in search results.
Search engines check for noindex in two places: the HTML <meta> tags in the page's <head>, and the X-Robots-Tag HTTP response header. Both methods are equally effective, but the HTTP header is the only option for non-HTML resources like PDFs or images.
For more on getting your pages indexed properly, see our guide on why your website isn't showing up on Google.
Noindex methods
| Method | Where | Example |
|---|---|---|
meta robots | HTML <head> | <meta name="robots" content="noindex"> |
meta googlebot | HTML <head> | <meta name="googlebot" content="noindex"> |
X-Robots-Tag | HTTP header | X-Robots-Tag: noindex |
robots.txt | Root directory | Blocks crawling, not indexing (different mechanism) |
When to use noindex
- Thank-you pages, post-conversion pages with no search value
- Internal search results, thin pages that duplicate other content
- Tag/filter pages, paginated or faceted navigation creating duplicate content
- Staging or test pages, content not yet ready for public search
- Login and admin pages, private pages that shouldn't appear in search
Frequently asked questions
What does noindex mean?
Noindex is a directive that tells search engines not to include a page in their search results. It can be set via a <meta name="robots" content="noindex"> tag in the HTML head, an X-Robots-Tag: noindex HTTP header, or within a meta tag targeting specific bots like Googlebot.
How do I check if a page is noindexed?
You can check by viewing the page source and looking for a meta robots tag with "noindex", checking the HTTP response headers for an X-Robots-Tag containing "noindex", or by using this free noindex checker tool which does both checks automatically.
Does noindex remove a page from Google?
Yes, eventually. When Google crawls a page and finds a noindex directive, it will drop the page from its search results. However, this isn't instant. It can take days or weeks for Google to recrawl the page and process the directive.
What's the difference between noindex and disallow?
Noindex tells search engines not to show a page in results but still allows crawling. Disallow (in robots.txt) prevents crawlers from accessing a page entirely. Ironically, if you disallow a page, search engines can't see the noindex tag, so the page may still appear in results with limited information.