How to Noindex Pages in WordPress?

How to Noindex Pages in WordPress (Step-by-Step Guide)

“Noindex” is a directive that tells search engines not to include certain pages in search results. This is useful for pages like admin pages, thank-you pages, login pages, or duplicate content that you don’t want indexed. WordPress allows you to noindex pages using SEO plugins, built-in settings, or custom code.

Below is a complete step-by-step guide for all methods.

Method 1: Noindex Pages Using Yoast SEO Plugin

Step 1: Install and Activate Yoast SEO

• Dashboard → Plugins → Add New

• Search Yoast SEO

• Install and activate

Step 2: Edit the Page/Post

• Open the page or post you want to noindex

Step 3: Open Yoast SEO Settings

• Scroll down to the Yoast SEO meta box

• Click the Advanced tab (gear icon)

Step 4: Set “Allow search engines to show this Page in search results?”

• Select No

• Update or publish the page

Method 2: Noindex Pages Using Rank Math Plugin

Step 1: Install and Activate Rank Math

• Dashboard → Plugins → Add New

• Search Rank Math

• Install and activate

Step 2: Edit the Page/Post

• Open the page/post editor

Step 3: Go to Rank Math Settings

• Scroll to Rank Math SEO meta box → Advanced tab

• Choose Noindex for the Robots Meta

• Update or publish the page

Method 3: Noindex Pages Using All in One SEO (AIOSEO) Plugin

Step 1: Install and Activate AIOSEO

• Dashboard → Plugins → Add New → Search All in One SEO

• Install and activate

Step 2: Edit the Page/Post

• Open the editor

Step 3: Go to AIOSEO Settings

• Scroll to Advanced Settings

• Enable Noindex this page

• Update or publish

Method 4: Noindex Pages via WordPress Discussion Settings (For Entire Site)

Step 1: Open Settings

• Dashboard → Settings → Reading

Step 2: Discourage Search Engines

• Check “Discourage search engines from indexing this site”

• Save changes

Note:
This will noindex the entire site, not just specific pages. Best for staging or development sites.

Method 5: Noindex Pages via Robots Meta Tag (Manual Code)

Step 1: Edit the Page Template

• Access your theme’s header.php or page template

Step 2: Add Robots Meta Tag

Step 3: Save Changes

• Only add this to pages you want noindexed

Note: Use this method only if you are comfortable editing theme files.

Method 6: Noindex Pages Using Custom Fields

• Some SEO plugins allow dynamic noindex using custom fields or post types

• Example: Add _aioseop_noindex custom field with value 1 (for AIOSEO)

Best Practices for Noindexing Pages

• Noindex:

  • Thank-you pages

  • Login pages / admin pages

  • Duplicate content pages

  • Internal search results pages

• Do not noindex pages that bring organic traffic

• Combine noindex with follow if you want links to pass SEO value

Difference Between Noindex and Nofollow

• Noindex: Page is not listed in search engines

• Nofollow: Links on page do not pass SEO authority