Page Not Indexable

This error appears when a page has a noindex directive configured that prevents Google from showing it in search results. Here's what it means and how to assess whether it should really be that way.

What this error means

The noindex directive is an instruction that tells Google not to include a page in its search results. It can be applied through the meta robots tag in the HTML or via the X-Robots-Tag HTTP header. When active, the page becomes invisible to anyone searching on Google. Unlike other restrictions, noindex doesn't prevent Google from visiting the page. The search engine can still crawl it, but won't show it in results. That means it exists, but no one searching on Google will find it. Noindex isn't always an error. There are pages that shouldn't appear in results, such as admin pages, purchase confirmation pages, or private access pages. The problem is when it's applied to pages that should be visible. This error usually appears due to inherited configurations, poorly closed migrations, or SEO plugins that apply noindex by default to certain page types without anyone having reviewed it.

Why reviewing noindex matters

A page with noindex is a page that doesn't exist for Google. It doesn't matter how well it's written, how fast it loads, or how many links it has. If it has noindex, it doesn't show up. Checking whether this directive is where it should be is the difference between a page that ranks and one that doesn't exist.

Impact on SEO rankings

A page with noindex cannot rank on Google under any circumstances. All the work invested in that content, the links pointing to it, and the accumulated authority are worthless if the page is blocked from search engines.

Impact on user experience

A user trying to reach this page from Google simply won't be able to find it. If the page has valuable content, that value stays locked away and never reaches the people who need it.

Crawling and indexing obstacles

Although Google can crawl the page, it won't include it in its index. That means any relevant content it has will be completely out of reach for users searching on Google.

How to fix it step by step

If this error showed up in your audit, here are the steps to leave it behind.

Step 1

Locate where noindex is defined

The noindex can be in the meta robots tag in the HTML or in the X-Robots-Tag HTTP header. Open the page source, look inside the <head> for the meta robots tag, and also check the HTTP response headers.

Step 2

Decide whether noindex should be there

It isn't always an error. If the page has content that shouldn't appear on Google, it may make sense to keep it. If it's there by mistake, it needs to be removed. Review the page's purpose and check with whoever manages SEO if you're unsure.

Step 3

Remove noindex if it shouldn't be there

If the page should appear in search results, remove the noindex directive from the meta robots tag and from the HTTP header if it's there too. You can do this through the SEO plugin you use (Yoast, Rank Math, etc.) or directly in the code.

Step 4

Verify that the page starts getting indexed

Once noindex is removed, check in Google Search Console that the page is being indexed correctly and that there are no other restrictions blocking it.

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