Understanding and Fixing the Excluded by ‘noindex’ Tag Status in Google Search Console

When optimizing your website’s performance in search engines, you might come across the Excluded by ‘noindex' Tag status in Google Search Console. While this error might seem alarming, it’s often a deliberate action or an easily fixable issue.

In this article, we’ll explain what this status means, why it occurs, and how you can resolve it using AIOSEO’s features.

What Does Excluded by ‘noindex’ Tag Mean?

The Excluded by ‘noindex' Tag status occurs when Google discovers a page on your website but does not index it because the page contains a noindex robots meta tag. This tag instructs search engines not to index the page.

This situation often arises from:

• Pages that are not intended for public indexing, such as account login pages, privacy or terms pages, or thank-you pages.
• Misconfigured SEO settings or plugins.
• Old or unused pages that were previously excluded from indexing.

How to Find the Excluded by ‘noindex' Tag Status in Google Search Console

To identify pages with the Excluded by ‘noindex' tag status in Google Search Console (GSC), follow these steps:

1. Log in to your Google Search Console account and select the appropriate property (website) in the Search property drop-down (if you manage multiple websites).
   
2. Click on Pages under Indexing in the left-hand sidebar.

3. In the Page indexing report, scroll down to the Why pages aren’t indexed section and look for Excluded by ‘noindex' tag. Click on this to see a list of URLs flagged for this reason.

4. After you click on Excluded by ‘noindex' tag, scroll down to the Examples section to view the list of affected URLs. This will help you understand whether the URLs are intentionally set to noindex or if there are issues.

How to Find the Excluded by ‘noindex' Tag Status using Index Status in All in One SEO’s Search Statistics Feature

The Index Status feature enables you to see Google Search Console errors directly within your WordPress dashboard. To do this, follow these steps:

1. Click on ​Search Statistics in the All in One SEO menu and then click on the SEO Statistics tab. 

2. In the Content Performance report, you’ll find a column labeled Indexed, which shows the index status of your pages using color-coded icons.

3. If any of these icons are orange or red, hover over them to reveal a detailed popup. If the issue is an Excluded by ‘noindex' tag status, then the popup will provide specific information.

4. Alternatively, navigate to the All Posts or All Pages screen in WordPress. The AIOSEO Details column on this page displays the same index status icons as the Content Performance report. Hovering over an icon here will also show details of any errors.

By using these methods in All in One SEO, you can effectively locate and address URLs affected by the Excluded by ‘noindex' tag status, ensuring a smooth user experience and optimal indexing for your site. You can learn more about Checking the Index Status of Content in our article here.

How to Fix the Excluded by ‘noindex’ tag with AIOSEO

AIOSEO provides a user-friendly interface to identify and resolve issues related to the noindex tag. Follow these steps to address the error:

Review and Update No Index Settings

Noindex can be set in two ways in All in One SEO: at the individual page or post level, and for your content types in general.

Here’s how to check noindex at the individual page or post level:

1. Start by editing the affected page or post in WordPress. Scroll down to the AIOSEO Settings section and click on the Advanced Tab. 
2. In this tab, you'll see a setting for Robots Settings with a toggle that's typically set to Use Default Settings.
3. If you see that the No Index setting is checked, uncheck it and click the Update button. 

Here’s how to check noindex at the content level:

1. In the WordPress dashboard, go to the All in One SEO menu and click on Search Appearance.
2. Click on the Content Types tab.
3. Here you will see sections for each of your content types, such as Posts, Pages, Products, etc.
4. Click on the Advanced tab in the section for the content type you want to check.
5. Look for the Robots Meta setting and make sure the No Index checkbox is unchecked. If it is checked, uncheck it and click Save Changes.

Addressing noindex for Paginated Content

If you have received error messages for paginated content, such as category or archive pages, you can check the sitewide settings for this.

Here are the steps to check the settings for noindex on paginated content:

1. In the WordPress dashboard, go to the All in One SEO menu and click on Search Appearance.
2. Click on the Advanced tab.
3. Click the Use Default Settings toggle to turn it off, which will display the global robots meta checkboxes.
4. You should see a checkbox for No Index Paginated, which will set the noindex robots meta tag on paginated content.
5. Ensure the checkbox is unchecked if you want search engines to index your paginated pages.
6. Click Save Changes.

Addressing noindex for Feed URLs

RSS feed URLs often appear with a noindex directive, and this is entirely normal. These are not actual pages, but rather basic code versions of your content designed for RSS feed crawlers and readers. 

Google typically doesn’t display these feeds in search results because they’re not meant for human consumption. WordPress creates several RSS feeds, and these URLs will always end with “/feed/”.

By default, AIOSEO sets RSS feeds to noindex to align with SEO best practices. If you wish to change this behavior, you can refer to our guide on Setting NOINDEX for RSS Feeds. However, we don’t recommend changing this, and you should leave them as is because Google will gradually remove feed URLs from your Search Console, and there’s no SEO benefit to indexing them.

Check Search Engine Visibility Settings

Noindex can also be controlled sitewide via the WordPress global site settings. To check this, follow these steps:

1. Go to Settings from the WordPress dashboard. In the Settings menu, click on Reading.
2. In the Reading Settings, ensure that the Discourage search engines from indexing this site checkbox is unchecked in the Search Engine Visibility section. 

If it’s checked, uncheck it and Save your changes.

Verify Robots.txt Configuration

Even if the noindex tag is removed, pages might remain excluded if they are blocked in your robots.txt file. This file gives instructions to search engine crawlers about which pages or files they can or cannot request from your site.

A Disallow rule in your robots.txt file tells crawlers not to access specific parts of your site. For example, a rule like Disallow: /wp-admin/ this is a default WordPress rule that prevents search engines from crawling the admin area of your site, which is standard practice. However, if a Disallow rule accidentally blocks important content, it can cause indexing issues.

To verify that the affected pages are not disallowed in your robots.txt, follow these steps:

1. Go to Tools from the All in One SEO menu.
2. In the Robots.txt Editor, review the rules. If you find a rule that is blocking content you want indexed (for example, Disallow: /your-important-page/), you should remove that line.
3. Update the file to allow crawling of these pages if necessary, and click the Save Changes button.

You can learn more about using the noindex or robots.txt rule by reading our article, When to use NOINDEX or the robots.txt?

Submit the URL for Reindexing

After applying these fixes, log in to your Google Search Console and use the URL Inspection Tool to test the affected URL.

Click Request Indexing to notify Google of the changes. This step prompts Google to re-crawl the page and update its status accordingly.

If you’ve resolved all instances of the error, you can ask Google to revalidate your URLs in bulk. On the Page Indexing page in Google Search Console, click the Validate Fix button. This informs Google that the issues have been addressed and the URLs are ready for indexing.

Occasionally, Google might report false positives. In such cases, revalidation ensures these URLs are reviewed again.

Preventing Future Issues

To avoid similar errors in the future:

• Regularly audit your SEO settings and content with AIOSEO.
• Use AIOSEO’s advanced settings to manage indexing preferences effectively.
• Ensure consistent configuration for titles, meta settings, and robots meta tags.
• Monitor your site’s performance using AIOSEO’s Search Statistics and Index Status tools.

The Excluded by ‘noindex' Tag status can highlight intentional exclusions or overlooked configurations. By leveraging AIOSEO’s features, you can resolve this issue efficiently and ensure your site is optimized for search visibility.