Free SEO Tool
Noindex Checker
Find out whether a page can be indexed, and exactly what is stopping it. Checks the meta tag, the X-Robots-Tag header and robots.txt, including the header that never shows in page source.
How this noindex tag checker works
Three steps, and the URL is all it needs:
Enter a page URL
Any public page, yours or a competitor's. Nothing here needs verification or an account.
We check every route
The robots meta tag, a Googlebot-specific tag, the X-Robots-Tag HTTP header, the robots.txt rules for that URL, the canonical, and the status code.
Get a plain verdict
Indexable or blocked, with the exact directive responsible and where to find it, so you know what to edit rather than what to guess at.
Every way a page gets blocked
A noindex checker tool that only reads the meta robots tag will confidently tell you a blocked page is fine. There are six routes, not one.
The robots meta tag
The familiar one, sitting in the HTML head. Also catches content="none", which means noindex and nofollow together and is missed by tools that only search for the word noindex.
A Googlebot-specific tag
A meta tag named "googlebot" rather than "robots" applies to Google only, and it overrides the generic tag. A page can look fine in the robots tag and still be blocked here.
The X-Robots-Tag header
Sent in the HTTP response, so it is completely invisible in page source. It is also the only way to noindex a PDF or an image, and it is the check most tools skip entirely.
robots.txt
Not a noindex, but it stops crawling, which has consequences of its own. It is also half of the conflict described below.
The canonical tag
A canonical pointing at a different URL is not a noindex, but it asks search engines to index that other page instead, so the effect is often the same.
The status code
A page returning 404 or 500 cannot be indexed whatever its tags say. Reported as an answer rather than an error, because it fully explains the outcome.
The robots.txt and noindex conflict
This is the trap worth understanding, because doing both looks thorough and is actually self-defeating.
To act on a noindex directive, a search engine has to read it. To read it, it has to crawl the page. If robots.txt disallows that URL, the crawl never happens, so the noindex is never seen. The page can then still appear in results as a bare URL with no title or snippet, which is the outcome you were trying to avoid.
The fix is to allow crawling and use noindex on its own. Once the page has been recrawled and dropped, you can add the robots.txt rule back if you want to save crawl budget. The checker above reports this combination as a conflict rather than as two separate findings, since neither one alone tells you what is wrong.
Robots directives and what each one does
They can be combined, and they can be sent as either a meta tag or an HTTP header. Only Disallow is robots.txt exclusive.
| Directive | What it does | Where it can be set |
|---|---|---|
| noindex | Keeps the page out of search results | Meta tag or HTTP header |
| nofollow | Stops link authority passing from this page | Meta tag or HTTP header |
| none | Equivalent to noindex and nofollow together | Meta tag or HTTP header |
| noarchive | Stops a cached copy being shown | Meta tag or HTTP header |
| nosnippet | Stops a text snippet being shown in results | Meta tag or HTTP header |
| noimageindex | Stops images on the page being indexed | Meta tag or HTTP header |
| Disallow | Stops crawling, which is not the same as noindex | robots.txt only |
Common indexing mistakes
Most of these are invisible on the page, which is why a page can sit unindexed for months with nobody noticing why.
- 1A noindex left in from staging. The most common cause of a page vanishing from search. A staging template, or a WordPress setting under Reading called Discourage search engines, carries a noindex into production. Nothing on the page looks wrong.
- 2Blocking in robots.txt to remove a page. This does not remove anything. Blocking crawling means search engines cannot read the noindex you also added, so the URL can persist in results without a snippet. Allow crawling and use noindex alone.
- 3An X-Robots-Tag nobody knows about. Set at the server or CDN level rather than in the page, so it survives every change you make to the HTML and never appears in view-source. If the page looks clean but stays unindexed, this is where to look.
- 4A canonical pointing at the wrong page. Usually a template error where every page canonicalises to the homepage. It is not a noindex, but you are telling search engines to index a different URL, and they generally will.
- 5Assuming noindex is instant. The page has to be crawled again before the directive is seen and acted on, which takes days or weeks. Removing a noindex is equally slow in reverse. Neither is broken, it is just how recrawling works.
- 6Confusing not indexed with not ranking. These are different problems with different fixes. This tool answers the first. If a page is indexable and still gets no traffic, the issue is competitiveness, not a directive.
Indexable is not the same as indexed
This tool answers whether anything is blocking a page. It cannot tell you whether Google has actually indexed it, because that lives in Google's index rather than on your page. For that, search for site: followed by the URL, or use the URL Inspection tool in Search Console, which is authoritative for sites you have verified.
So the habit worth building is to check noindex first, before assuming a page has a content problem. Ruling out a directive takes seconds, and it is the cause often enough to be worth eliminating before anything else.
If robots.txt turned out to be the blocker, the Robots.txt Checker shows every rule and which one decided the verdict. To see all the page's tags rather than just the indexing ones, the Meta Tag Checker lists them with previews. And if the page is indexable but still invisible, the On-Page SEO Checker audits it against the keyword you want it to rank for.
Noindex checker FAQ
How to check if a page has noindex?
Paste the URL into the checker above. It reads the robots meta tag, any Googlebot-specific tag, and the X-Robots-Tag HTTP header, then tells you which one, if any, contains a noindex. It also checks robots.txt, because a page can be kept out of results without any noindex tag at all.
How can I check if a page has a noindex tag?
Manually, view the page source and search the head for a meta tag named robots. If its content includes noindex or none, the page is blocked. The limitation of doing it that way is that the X-Robots-Tag header never appears in page source, so a page can look completely clean and still carry a noindex. The tool above reads both.
What is a noindex tag?
A directive telling search engines not to include a page in their results. It is usually a meta tag in the HTML head, <meta name="robots" content="noindex">, and it can also be sent as an X-Robots-Tag HTTP header. It is a request rather than an enforcement, but the major search engines honour it.
What does a noindex tag do?
It keeps the page out of search results while still allowing it to be crawled and its links followed, unless you also add nofollow. Correct uses include thank-you pages, internal search results, staging areas and thin tag archives. It is not a way to hide anything, since the page is still publicly reachable.
Does Google crawl noindex pages?
Yes. Crawling and indexing are separate. Google has to crawl the page to see the noindex in the first place, and it keeps recrawling periodically to check whether the directive is still there. That is exactly why blocking a page in robots.txt to enforce a noindex backfires: the crawl never happens, so the directive is never read.
How do I noindex a site?
Add <meta name="robots" content="noindex"> to the head of every page, or send an X-Robots-Tag: noindex header from the server, which is faster across a whole site. Do not block the site in robots.txt at the same time. On WordPress there is a Discourage search engines checkbox under Settings, Reading, which does this for you.
How do I use a noindex and nofollow tag in HTML?
<meta name="robots" content="noindex, nofollow"> in the head, or <meta name="robots" content="none"> which means the same thing. Use noindex alone if you still want links on the page to pass authority, which is usually the better choice. Adding nofollow by reflex costs you internal link value for no benefit.
How do I add a noindex tag in WordPress?
Yoast, Rank Math and most SEO plugins have a per-page setting, usually worded as allow search engines to show this page. There is also a site-wide checkbox under Settings, Reading called Discourage search engines from indexing this site, which is a frequent cause of an entire site disappearing after launch.
Why isn't Google indexing my page?
Run the checker above first, since it rules out the mechanical causes: a noindex directive, an X-Robots-Tag, a robots.txt block, a canonical pointing elsewhere, or an error status. If all of those are clear, the page is indexable and the cause is different, most often that the page is new, poorly linked internally, or judged too thin to be worth including.
How to fix page indexing issues?
Work in order. Confirm nothing is blocking it, which is what this tool does. Then confirm it is discoverable, meaning it is in your sitemap and other pages link to it. Then request indexing in Search Console. If it is still not indexed after a few weeks, the problem is usually the content rather than the configuration.
How can I fix a page that is "Crawled - Currently Not Indexed"?
That status means Google fetched the page and chose not to index it, so nothing is blocking it and this checker will report it as indexable. It is a quality judgement, not a technical fault. The usual fixes are making the page substantially more useful than what already ranks, and linking to it properly from related pages so it does not look peripheral.
How to check indexing status?
The URL Inspection tool in Google Search Console is the authoritative answer for your own site, since it reports what Google actually did. For a quick check on any site, search Google for site:yourdomain.com/your-page. If nothing comes back, the page is not indexed. This tool answers a different question: whether anything is stopping it.
How to check index in Google?
Use a site: search, for example site:example.com to see roughly what is indexed for a domain, or site:example.com/page for one URL. The counts are approximate and should not be treated as precise. Search Console gives the accurate version for properties you have verified.
How do I see the index of a webpage?
Search for site: followed by the exact URL. A result means the page is indexed, and no result means it is not. If it is not indexed, the checker above will tell you whether something is actively blocking it or whether it is simply not been picked up yet.
What is a Google index?
The database of pages Google has crawled, processed and considers eligible to appear in results. Being in the index is a prerequisite for ranking but not the same thing. A page can be indexed and never appear for any query anyone actually searches.
How long does it take for a page to get indexed?
Anywhere from hours to several weeks. Established sites that publish often get crawled quickly. New sites with few links can wait a long time. Submitting a sitemap and requesting indexing in Search Console helps, but neither guarantees it, and no amount of resubmission speeds up a page Google has judged not worth indexing.
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