Meta tag directives like index, noindex, follow, nofollow that guide crawling and indexing.
Meta robots tags communicate page-level indexing and following preferences to search engines. Common directives include index/noindex and follow/nofollow, as well as advanced directives like noarchive and nosnippet. They provide granular control beyond robots.txt and should align with canonical and redirect strategies.
| Criteria | Recommended | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Intent Alignment | Map $meta robots to user journeys and topics | Validate with SERP and on-site behavior |
| Consistency | Encode in components and content standards | Use CMS validations and preview QA |
| Measurement | Track internal CTR, sync signals, conversions | Set guardrails to catch regressions |
Using <meta name="robots" content="noindex,follow"> on utility pages
Applying nosnippet to sensitive content blocks
Fine-grained control of indexation
Avoids conflicting crawl vs index signals
Supports privacy and compliance needs
Keep directives consistent with canonicals and redirects
Avoid blanket nofollow on internal pages
Document usage patterns for maintainability
The process of indicating the preferred URL among duplicate or similar pages.
A file that instructs search engine crawlers which URLs they can or cannot access.
A directive that tells search engines not to index a specific page.
Specific, longer search phrases with lower search volume but higher conversion intent.
Reviewing server logs to understand crawler behavior, status codes, and crawl efficiency.
Links that connect one page of a website to another page on the same domain.
The perceived expertise and depth a site has on a specific subject area.
RankVectors uses AI-powered semantic analysis to help you implement intelligent internal linking strategies automatically.
Get Started FreeIncididunt sint fugiat pariatur cupidatat consectetur sit cillum anim id veniam aliqua proident excepteur commodo do ea.
The clickable, visible text in a hyperlink.
© 2025 RankVectors. All rights reserved.