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Robots Meta Tag
The robots meta tag is an HTML element used to provide instructions to search engine robots (crawlers) about how you want them to interact with your web page. It helps control the indexing and crawling behavior of search engines robots. Let's dive right in:Step 1: Understanding the Robot Meta Tag Basics
The robots meta tag is placed within the <head> section of an HTML document. It is used to communicate directives to search engine bots or crawlers. The tag has the following format:The "name" attribute should be set to "robots," and the "content" attribute specifies one or more directives.
Step 2: Choosing the Directives
There are several directives you can use in the content attribute of the robots meta tag to control search engine crawling and indexing behavior. Here are the most common ones:
"index"
This value instructs search engines to index the page and include it in search results. It allows the page to be crawled, indexed, and displayed in search engine listings. This is the default indexing value if no robots meta tag is present.
Example: <meta name="robots" content="index">
noindex
This value tells search engines not to index the page and should not appear in search engine results pages (SERPs). This can be useful for pages like duplicate content, private content, or temporary pages that you don't want to be indexed.
Example: <meta name="robots" content="noindex">
"follow"
This value indicates that search engines should follow the links present on the page when crawling it. It instructs search engine crawlers to continue to other pages that are linked from the current page. This is the default value if no robots meta tag is present.
Example: <meta name="robots" content="follow">
"nofollow"
This value tells search engines not to follow the links on the page. It suggests that search engine crawlers should not pass link equity or authority to the linked pages. This is often used for user-generated content, sponsored links, or any links that you don't want search engines to consider when assessing page ranking.
Example: <meta name="robots" content="nofollow">
"noarchive"
This value indicates that search engines should not create a cached copy or archive of the page in search results. It prevents search engines from displaying a cached version of the page when users click on a "Cached" link in search results.
Example: <meta name="robots" content="noarchive">
noimageindex"
This value tells search engines not to index any images on the page and should not include images from the page in their image search results.
Example: <meta name="robots" content="noimageindex">
nosnippet"
This value instructs search engines not to display a snippet or description of the page in search results. It prevents search engines from showing a preview of the page content beneath the title in the search results.
Example: <meta name="robots" content="nosnippet">
These directives can be combined by separating them with a comma.
Example: <meta name="robots" content="noindex, nofollow">
It's important to note that search engines may interpret and handle these directives differently. While most major search engines support these values, it's always recommended to refer to the specific documentation and guidelines provided by each search engine for precise implementation and behavior.
That's it! You have now learned how to use the robots meta tag to control the behavior of search engine crawlers on your web pages. Congratulations, treat yourself to a pat on the back!
PS - Given your interest in this tutorial, you may also be interested in the Robots.txt tutorial. It adds another layer of control to your digital toolbag.
