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Early Access

Meta Tags

googlebot

Learn how to use the googlebot meta tag to improve your site.

Provides specific directives to Google's web crawler, Googlebot, on how to index and serve content from a web page in Google Search results. This tag allows more fine-tuned control over how Google interacts with your site's pages.

Parameters

index
Allows the page to be indexed by Google.
<meta name="googlebot" content="index" />
noindex
Prevents the page from being indexed by Google.
<meta name="googlebot" content="noindex" />
follow
Instructs Googlebot to follow links on the page.
<meta name="googlebot" content="follow" />
nofollow
Prevents Googlebot from following any links on the page.
<meta name="googlebot" content="nofollow" />
noarchive
Prevents Google from showing a cached link in search results.
<meta name="googlebot" content="noarchive" />
nosnippet
Prevents a snippet or cache link from being shown in the search results.
<meta name="googlebot" content="nosnippet" />
max-snippet:-1
Allows an unlimited snippet length.
<meta name="googlebot" content="max-snippet:-1" />
max-video-preview:-1
Allows an unlimited preview length for videos.
<meta name="googlebot" content="max-video-preview:-1" />
max-image-preview:large
Allows a large image preview.
<meta name="googlebot" content="max-image-preview:large" />

Code Examples

<meta name="googlebot" content="index, follow" />
Instructs Googlebot to index the page and follow links, making content discoverable in Google Search.
<meta name="googlebot" content="noindex, follow" />
Tells Googlebot not to index the page but to follow links, useful for controlling crawl budget while allowing discovery of linked pages.
<meta name="googlebot" content="index, nofollow" />
Allows the page to be indexed but prevents Googlebot from following links, potentially isolating content.
<meta name="googlebot" content="noindex, nofollow" />
Blocks the page from being indexed and prevents link following, isolating the content and linked pages from search.

Recommendations

  • Optimize Crawl Budget
    Use the "noindex, follow" directive for pages that should not appear in search results but can link to important pages, optimizing Googlebot’s crawl budget for your site.
  • Manage Content Visibility
    Combine "noindex" with "follow" on pages with duplicate content or low SEO value to aid in discovering more valuable pages via their links.

Related Documentation

Related Meta Tags

author

name

Specifies the name of the author of the document or webpage. This is used by search engines to understand authorship information, which can influence search rankings and visibility.

<meta name="author" content="Jane Doe">
Specifies a clear, straightforward author name, improving the document's credibility and aiding in content attribution.

charset

charset

Defines the character encoding standard for the HTML document. Character encoding is essential for rendering text correctly in browsers.

<meta charset="charset" content="UTF-8">
Declares UTF-8 as the character encoding for the HTML document, supporting most characters and symbols in use today.

description

name

Provides a brief and concise summary of a web page’s content. This summary is often used by search engines to display snippet previews in search results, influencing click-through rates.

<meta name="description" content="Learn how to bake delicious, moist cupcakes with our easy-to-follow guide. Featuring tips and tricks for beginners.">
A well-crafted description for a page about baking cupcakes, incorporating relevant keywords and staying within the recommended character limit.

google

name

This meta tag is utilized to specify how Google should interact with your site. Primarily, it's used to enable or disable Google's site translation feature on a per-page basis.

<meta name="google" content="notranslate">
Prevents automatic translation of the page, ensuring that content is presented as intended without potential misinterpretation through translation.

google-site-verification

name

Used for verifying ownership of a website within Google Search Console, a crucial step for accessing detailed reporting and configuring how Google interacts with your site.

<meta name="google-site-verification" content="your_verification_code">
Correctly places the verification code in the content attribute, verifying site ownership.