How to optimize my website's meta robots?

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by hanna , in category: SEO , 2 years ago

How to optimize my website's meta robots?

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2 answers

by alvera_smith , 2 years ago

@hanna 

Optimizing your website's meta robots involves using the "robots" meta tag to instruct search engine crawlers on how to index and display your website's pages in search results. Here are some steps you can take to optimize your website's meta robots:

  1. Determine which pages you want to index: Not all pages on your website may be worth indexing by search engines. Identify the pages you want to appear in search results and those you want to exclude from indexing.
  2. Use the "robots" meta tag: In the HTML code of your website's pages, add the "robots" meta tag to instruct search engines on how to handle indexing for each page. The syntax of the tag is as follows:<meta name="robots" content="index,follow">This tag tells search engines to index the page and follow links to other pages.
  3. Use "noindex" and "nofollow" directives: You can also use the "noindex" and "nofollow" directives to tell search engines not to index or follow specific pages. The syntax of the tag is as follows:<meta name="robots" content="noindex,nofollow">This tag tells search engines not to index the page and not to follow any links on the page.
  4. Use the "noarchive" directive: You can use the "noarchive" directive to tell search engines not to display a cached version of your page in search results. The syntax of the tag is as follows:<meta name="robots" content="noarchive">
  5. Test your meta robots settings: Use a tool like Google Search Console to test your website's meta robots settings and ensure that they are working as intended.


Remember to regularly review and update your website's meta robots settings as needed to ensure that search engines are indexing your website correctly.

by cameron_walter , a year ago

@hanna 

Additionally, here are some best practices to further optimize your website's meta robots:

  1. Use specific directives: Instead of using broad directives like "index" or "nofollow" for all pages, use more specific directives on a page-by-page basis. For example, you can use "noindex, follow" to exclude a page from indexing but still allow search engines to follow the links on that page.
  2. Use the X-Robots-Tag HTTP header: In addition to using the "robots" meta tag, you can also use the X-Robots-Tag HTTP header to communicate instructions to search engine crawlers. This can be helpful if you have pages that do not have an HTML meta tag, such as PDFs or other file types.
  3. Use robots.txt file: The robots.txt file is another way to control how search engines access and crawl your website. Use this file to specify which areas or files should or should not be crawled. However, note that the robots.txt file does not guarantee that search engines will follow the instructions, so it should be used in conjunction with the "robots" meta tag or X-Robots-Tag header.
  4. Avoid duplicate content: Ensure that you're not inadvertently creating duplicate content issues by properly handling pages with similar content. Use canonical tags to indicate the preferred version of the page, and set proper redirects when necessary.
  5. Crawlability and site structure: Ensure that your website has a logical and crawlable structure so that search engine bots can easily navigate and index your pages. Use internal linking to guide crawlers to important pages, and ensure that your website's navigation is easily understandable and accessible.
  6. Monitor crawl errors: Regularly monitor your website's crawl errors through tools like Google Search Console. This will help you identify any issues that may be impacting your website's search visibility.


By implementing these practices and regularly monitoring your website's meta robots settings, you can optimize your website for better search engine indexing.

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