Home
>
Web Development
>
Effectively Using Robots Meta Tags

Effectively Using Robots Meta Tags

The "robots" meta tag, when used properly, will tell the search engine spiders whether or not to index and follow a particular page. For the purposes of this article, we will be using the "( )" symbols to represent the "< >" in html coding.

Some examples of robot usage are as follows:

(meta name="robots" content="index,follow")

(meta name="robots" content="noindex,follow")

(meta name="robots" content="index,nofollow")

(meta name="robots" content="noindex,nofollow")

Let us first examine what these terms mean before we explain the usage for each one:

"index"- This directive tells the search engine robots (or spiders) that it is okay to index the page. Another words, you are allowing the search engine to include your page within their search directory.

"noindex"- Using this tag, you are informing the robots that this page should not be indexed. Simply put, this page will not appear in their search directory.

"follow"- When you use this tag, you are telling the search engines that you want their robot to follow any links that are found on that page.

"nofollow"- The opposite of the above definition, this directive will tell the robots not to follow any links on your page.

Putting It All Together:

With the robots tags explained, let's examine the usage for each one.

1. (meta name="robots" content="index,follow")

This tag will be used when you want the search engine spiders to index the page and follow the links to other pages. Most search engines use this setting as a "default" setting. It is possible that you may not even need to use this tag if you want the search engines to follow and index the page. However, an article at Search Engine World (searchengineworld.com/metatag/robots.htm) suggests that Inktomi does not use this as their default setting. Instead, they use the "index, nofollow" tag.

Better safe than sorry!

There has been much debate over whether or not it is necessary to use this tag. If there is even a slight possibility that some search engines do not use this as the default setting, then it would only make sense to include this tag if you want your page included in their search directory AND your links to be followed. Do the research and decide for yourself.

2. (meta name="robots" content="noindex,follow")

This tag can be used to tell the search engines that you do not want the page included in their directory, but you DO want them to follow the links that lead to other pages. A good example of its usage would be your disclaimer or privacy policy pages. You may not want these pages to show up in the search engines if they are only important to your actual visitors. However, if the links on these pages point to other pages that you want the search engines to find, then you would still want the spiders to "follow" those links.

3. (meta name="robots" content="index,nofollow")

This tag will allow your page to be indexed in the search engines, but any links on that page will not be followed.

4. (meta name="robots" content="noindex,nofollow")

When using this tag, the search engine spiders will not include this page in their directory and will not follow any links on the page either.

Where does the "robots" tag belong?

The "robots" meta tag should be used within the (head) and (/head) tags of your page. These tags are located at the top of the html coding. It will look something like this:

(html)
(head)
(title)Title of your page goes here(/title)
(meta name="keywords" content="word1,word2,word3,word4")
(meta name="description" content="A brief description of the content of this page.")
(meta name="robots" content="index,follow")
(/head)
(body)
Your webpage information here.
(/body)
(/html)

More Robots Tags

Google automatically archives a page as it crawls it. This is called a "cached" version of the page. Visitors can retrieve the archived version of the page by clicking on the "cached" link within Google's search results. If you do not want your content to be archived, you can use the following tag:

(meta name="robots" content="noarchive")

*This will only prevent your page from being "cached". If you do not want your page to be indexed at all, you will still need to include the "noindex" tag.

Another alternative to the above tag is the tag that specifically addresses Google only. If you want other search engine robots to archive your site, but you would like to prevent Google from doing so, then you can use the following tag:

(meta name="googlebot" content="noarchive")

The Misuse of Robots Tags

Something that has been popping up on websites everywhere is the Google indexing tag. This is a silly little tag that is not necessary. Some people think this tag helps Google to spider your site, but this simply isn't true. The tag looks like this: (meta name="googlebot" content="index,follow"). Some website owners believe that by specifying "googlebot" that their site has the advantage of being spidered faster and listed by Google. According to Google's web crawler information, you may use the noindex, nofollow, or noarchive tags when you DO NOT want Google to cache, index, or follow that page. Google's default setting is to index and follow the links on the page, so this "so called" googlebot index/follow tag that some site owner made up one day is completely unnecessary.

Another silly little tag--- The "Revisit-After" Tag

(meta name="revisit-after" content="90 days")
(meta name="revisit-after" content="15 days")

I'm not sure where this myth was started. Today, you will find this tag all over the Internet. Webmasters have even promoted it, claiming that it actually works. Are we so naive to believe the search engine spiders need to know when to come back? I have never used this tag, and my site has no problem with being crawled on a regular basis. Even some SEO (search engine optimization) sites are claiming its value. This comes back to the importance of researching the topic thoroughly first. My research came from some interesting information on WebmasterWorld.

It is important to examine the correct usage of the "robots" tag before applying it to your website. Incorrect usage of tags could result in spidering errors that cause robots to completely ignore the page all together. If you are interested in learning more about web robots, this great little site will provide you with the information you need to use them effectively: www.robotstxt.org/wc/robots.html

Stephani Richardson is a work at home mother of 4 who has been actively involved with affiliate marketing and home business opportunities since December 1999. She owns and operates several business related websites including 1 work at home dot com.

shuttle to Midway Beardstown .. Lockport Chicago limo O’Hare

In The News:

The FBI has issued a warning that scammers are impersonating doctors, police and banks using spoofed numbers as "smishing" texts surge nationwide.

Communities with unreliable internet service stand to gain after Amazon's Project Kuiper launched its first full batch of satellites into orbit April 28.

Tech expert Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson says unsubscribing from spam might actually backfire. Learn when to avoid it and stop junk effectively.

Tech expert Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson talks about how the first nonstop beating heart transplant, called zero ischemic time, at Taiwan hospital changes surgery.

Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson: FBI warns of "time-traveling" hackers.

Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson talks about a soft, vine-like robot called SPROUT that aids safe survivor rescues in collapsed buildings.

Health insurance giant Blue Shield of California confirmed it had been sharing private health data of 4.7 million users with Google for three years without even realizing it.

Delta and JetZero’s blended wing body aircraft marks a meaningful step toward a cleaner, quieter and more efficient future for air travel.

Recent reports show many common passwords can be cracked in literally seconds. Kurt the CyberGuy explains how to strengthen your passwords.

Stay up to date on the latest AI technology advancements and learn about the challenges and opportunities AI presents now and for the future.

Iron, a robot that stands 5 feet, 8 inches tall and weighs 154 pounds, combines advanced artificial intelligence with human-like movement and exceptional vision.

Hertz, the rental car giant, recently confirmed that customer information was exposed through a cyberattack on one of its software vendors.

There are a number of features with AirPods you may or may not know about to take your listening experience to the next level. Kurt the CyberGuy explains.

These 35 Chrome extensions have privacy and security concerns. Tech expert Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson says to delete them now.

Tech expert Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson says 329,000 mph fusion rocket promises to be fast, disruptive and enable deep-space missions.

Stay up to date on the latest AI technology advancements and learn about the challenges and opportunities AI presents now and for the future.

Tech expert Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson says a new autonomous AI is a game changer that also raises privacy risks. Is your data safe?

Tech expert Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson says robots and drones are revolutionizing fruit farming with faster picking and smarter handling.

Landmark Admin revises May 2024 cyberattack scope to show twice as many people were affected. Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson gives tips to help stay safe from an insurance data breach.

Tech expert Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson talks about how Yamaha’s hydrogen outboard motor could revolutionize boating with zero emissions.

Tech expert Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson reveals how to memorialize or remove a deceased loved one’s Facebook account and protect their digital legacy from misuse or scams.

Tech expert Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson says an Apple Watch saved psychiatrist Amanda Faulkner by detecting deadly leukemia early.

Scammers and fraudsters are increasingly targeting the most vulnerable, especially nursing homes and the personal data of their residents. Kurt the CyberGuy has safety tips.

Infected USB flash drives can spread malware among multiple organizations in ways that can easily bypass traditional security systems.

With a fully automated warehouse system and AI-powered robots, Ocado's Hive picks, packs and delivers grocery store orders in just a few minutes.

Effectively Using Robots Meta Tags

Web Development