Confused about noindex vs nofollow tags? Have you been wondering whether they are two different tags or have similar meaning? All your confusions will be resolved with this article below. It will give you a clear understanding about the basics of both the terms, how are they different from one another and which tag is to be used where. This will help you in figuring out the purpose of the page and appointing tags at the correct place. Let’s get started.
What is Noindex Tag?
The directive tag noindex is generally used in meta tag. This tag is usually added on the HTML source code of the webpage in the header section. A noindex tag on the HTML of the webpage indicates search engines to crawl the page to understand the content of the page but not to index the page as it cannot be made visible on search engine results.
What is Nofollow Tag?
The directive tag nofollow too can be used in meta tag. This tag is also added on the HTML source code of a webpage. A nofollow tag on the HTML of the webpage indicates search engine to not follow the links on that page. This suggests that search engines shouldn’t pass the link equity or authority or link juice onto the pages which are linked through the content of that page.
Also Read: Homepage SEO: How to Optimize Your Homepage?
Noindex vs Nofollow – What are the Differences?
Understanding the basic definition of both the terms, we could understand what different messages the nofollow noindex meta tags wants to convey to the search engines. So, the point of differences between noindex nofollow metags are:
- Nofollow meta tag is used for indicating search engines to not visit the webpages with the link present on the page whereas noindex tag means search engines can crawl the page but not save it for showing it on search domain
- The meta tag of noindex tag must be added on the header section of the site only whereas nofollow tag can be given to individual link on the page as well.
- As search engines crawl data from the noindex marked pages, it is possible to pass the link juice to another page as well. This is not possible in case of nofollow tag because it stops the search engines from following the link on the page.
These basic core differences between noindex and nofollow meta tags comes from their individual definition itself.
What are Examples of Pages that Should be Set to “Noindex”?
Noindex tag is useful for the pages that you feel search engines shouldn’t display on their results for the reason being that either the page has no relevancy individually (like a Thank You page) or the page has duplicate content which is generated just for the users (like different locations branch pages with same content). Examples of such pages are:
- Thank You page
- Ads Landing page
- Page with Offers that expires in an interval
- Schedule an Appointment page
- Members only page
- Privacy Policy page
- Terms and Conditions page
- Pages Not Found
Such pages do not have relevancy individually and hence, their visibility on search engine results is of no use. Hence, they should be marked with noindex tag.
What are Examples of Pages that Should be Set to “Nofollow”?
Nofollow tag is useful for the links that you feel search engines should not crawl to, from your page as it is not valid enough to pass your website’s link juice to the other website by following that link. This is done mostly for external links that are less relevant or is a competitor’s link or a paid link which is not useful for further following. Examples of such pages are:
- Blog Comments
- Paid Links
- User Generated Content
Also Read: How to Search for Keywords on a Website?
Conclusion
When understanding noindex vs nofollow difference, we get to know that the core definition of both the terms are completely different from one another. Noindex nofollow being different terms are both useful for individuals maintaining a website for better user-friendly and search engine friendly content.
