Robots tag: What it is and what it’s used for in SEO

Estefania Gil

In the world of SEO, the robots tag is an essential tool for controlling the visibility of a web page on search engines. This powerful HTML code snippet allows site owners and SEO specialists to communicate directly with search engines about how each specific page should be handled. Understanding its function and how to implement it correctly is key to optimizing any website’s SEO performance.

Índice

What is the robots tag?

The robots tag, also known as the meta robots tag, is an HTML code snippet placed in the <head> section of a webpage. Its main function is to give specific instructions to search engines on how they should crawl and index that particular page’s content. With this tag, content owners can precisely manage each page’s visibility in search results.

How does the robots tag work?

The robots tag uses simple syntax:

html

Here, “directives” refers to the instructions that search engines should follow. These can include commands like index, noindex, follow, nofollow, and more, which we’ll detail in the following sections. When these directives are implemented, search engines gain more precise control over how they interact with each page.

Differences between meta robots and robots.txt

It’s common to confuse the robots tag with the robots.txt file. However, while both control search engine behavior, their functions and scope are different.

Robots.txt file: This file is located in the root of the site and provides general instructions on which parts of the site can or cannot be crawled by bots. However, it does not guarantee that pages won’t be indexed if accessible through other means.
Meta robots tag: Applied on a per-page basis, this tag allows for more specific control. It can indicate that a page should not be indexed in search results, even if it is crawled.

Importance of the robots tag for SEO

The robots tag is essential in search engine optimization (SEO) as it allows for precise control over how pages should be indexed and displayed. Its importance is reflected in several key aspects:

Indexing control: It prevents duplicate or low-quality content from appearing in search results, thus improving the site’s overall quality.
Crawl budget optimization: It indicates which pages should be ignored, allowing bots to focus on important content and save crawl budget.
Sensitive content protection: Although it’s not a security method, it helps keep certain content out of public search results.
URL parameter management: It helps prevent duplicate content issues caused by variations in URL parameters.

Implementation of the meta robots tag

Correctly implementing the robots tag is crucial to ensuring search engines interpret and respect our instructions. Poor implementation can lead to indexing issues and loss of visibility in search results.

Correct placement in HTML code

The meta robots tag must be located in the <head> section of the HTML code of the page. Placing the tag outside of this section could result in search engines ignoring it. Here is an example of correct placement:

html

<!DOCTYPE html>

<html>

<head>

<title>Sample Page</title>

</head>

<body>

<!– Page content –>

</body>

</html>

It’s important to use only one robots tag per page, as multiple tags can confuse search engines.

Syntax and attributes of the robots tag

The Robots tag has two main attributes: name and content.

name Attribute: Indicates which robots the instructions apply to (e.g., robots for all search engines or googlebot for Google only).
content Attribute: Contains the specific directives for the robots to follow. Some of the most common directives include:
- index/noindex: Determines if a page should be indexed.
- follow/nofollow: Indicates if the page’s links should be followed.
- noarchive: Prevents the page from being cached.
- nosnippet: Prevents a text snippet from being shown in the results.

Robots tag use cases

Below are some common examples of how to implement the Meta Robots Tag for different scenarios:

To allow indexing and link following:
html
<meta name=”robots” content=”index, follow”>

To prevent indexing but allow link following:
html
<meta name=”robots” content=”noindex, follow”>

To prevent indexing and link following:
html
Copiar código
<meta name=”robots” content=”noindex, nofollow”>

It is essential to understand that the robots tag directives are suggestions to search engines. While they generally respect them, search engines may ignore these directives if they believe it’s in the user’s best interest.

Main directives of the robots tag

Knowing the main directives of the robots tag and how to use them allows for detailed SEO control:

index and noindex: Allow you to decide if a page should appear in search results. noindex is useful for hiding test or low-value pages.
follow and nofollow: Control whether search engines should follow a page’s links and transmit link value.
noarchive, nocache, and nosnippet: Affect how a page appears in search results, preventing it from being cached or displaying a snippet.

X-Robots-Tag: An alternative to meta robots

The X-Robots-Tag is another control option for SEO, applied through HTTP headers. This directive is useful for non-HTML files, such as PDFs or images, and allows indexing instructions to be applied more broadly at the server level.

Example in an Apache .htaccess file:

apache

Header set X-Robots-Tag “noindex, nofollow”

</IfModule>

Best practices for implementing the robots tag

To make the most of the robots tag, it’s important to follow some best practices and avoid common mistakes:

Use “noindex” selectively: Apply this directive to low-value or duplicate pages, such as internal search pages or print versions.
Consistency with robots.txt: Avoid conflicts between the Robots tag directives and the instructions in your robots.txt file.
Review and Monitor: Use tools like Google Search Console to monitor how search engines are indexing your site and make adjustments as needed.

The robots tag is an essential tool for an effective SEO strategy. When applied correctly, it allows control over page visibility in search results, optimizes search engine crawling, and improves the quality of indexed content. Its careful use is key to maximizing SEO performance and ensuring the right content is visible to the public.

What happens if I forget to include a robots tag on an important page?

If a page does not have a robots tag, search engines will apply their default settings, which are typically index and follow. This means that, by default, the page will be indexed, and links will be followed. However, for sensitive or low-quality pages, it is advisable to review and add the tag with the appropriate directive.

Can the robots tag help prevent duplicate content on my site?

Yes, using noindex on duplicate pages or alternative versions of the same page can reduce the likelihood of duplicate content in search results. This is especially useful on large sites with page versions based on filters or URL parameters.

What is the difference between “noindex” in the robots tag and blocking a page in robots.txt?

Noindex in the robots tag allows search engines to crawl the page but not index it. Blocking a page in robots.txt prevents search engines from crawling it altogether, so they cannot see either the Robots tag or its content. Each approach has its use depending on the indexing and crawling goals for the page.