Meta Robots Generator
Generate a meta robots tag for search indexing and crawling directives.
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About Meta Robots Generator
This meta robots generator creates a meta robots tag for common indexing and crawling directives.
Meta Robots Tag Syntax
<!-- Allow indexing and link crawling (default) --> <meta name="robots" content="index, follow"> <!-- Block indexing, allow link crawling --> <meta name="robots" content="noindex, follow"> <!-- Allow indexing, block link crawling --> <meta name="robots" content="index, nofollow"> <!-- Block both indexing and link crawling --> <meta name="robots" content="noindex, nofollow"> <!-- Block cached copies and snippets --> <meta name="robots" content="noarchive, nosnippet">
Common Directives
| Directive | Description | Use Case |
|---|---|---|
noindex |
Prevent search indexing | Staging, thin content |
nofollow |
Don't follow page links | Untrusted/paid links |
noarchive |
No cached copy | Time-sensitive content |
nosnippet |
No search result preview | Pricing, dynamic content |
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is the meta robots tag syntax?
- The meta robots tag syntax is: <meta name="robots" content="directive1, directive2">. Common directives include: index/noindex (control indexing), follow/nofollow (control link crawling), noarchive (prevent cached copies), nosnippet (prevent search result previews). Multiple directives are comma-separated.
- When should I use noindex vs nofollow?
- Use noindex to prevent a page from appearing in search results (staging pages, thin content, duplicate pages). Use nofollow to prevent search engines from following links on the page (untrusted content, paid links, comment sections). They can be combined: noindex, nofollow.
- What is the difference between meta robots and robots.txt?
- Meta robots tags control indexing and crawling of individual pages (noindex, nofollow). Robots.txt controls which URLs crawlers can access site-wide. Meta robots is more granular; robots.txt is broader. For sensitive pages, use both: block in robots.txt AND add noindex.
- What are noarchive and nosnippet used for?
- noarchive prevents search engines from showing a cached copy of the page. nosnippet prevents search engines from showing a text snippet or video preview in search results. Use for time-sensitive content, pricing pages, or content that changes frequently.