Nofollow and Noindex Meta Tags: The Distinction

The Distinction: Nofollow and Noindex Meta Tags in San Diego, CA

If you spend any time doing digital marketing tasks, you’ve probably come across various terms. Some of them, such as page speed and cost per click (CPC), are fairly straightforward. However, some marketing terms, especially those pertaining to meta tags, can be a bit confusing. Today, the digital marketing experts from Saba SEO, a premier SEO company in San Diego, discuss the difference between noindex and nofollow meta tags.

What Is a Noindex Tag?

The “noindex” tag is meant to do just what its name implies—tell search engines like Google not to index or evaluate a particular webpage. It’s necessary to do this because webpages, by default, are automatically set to “index.” Typically you should have search engines skip pages that offer little or no SEO value as well as pages you don’t want customers landing on when searching for what you have to offer. Common noindex pages include:

• Thank-you pages
• Pages with confidential content only meant to be accessed internally
• Members-only pages

What Is a Nofollow Tag?

The “nofollow” tag is specific to links. It tells search engines not to count links to certain pages for link quality/equity purposes. While both external and internal links can be beneficial for ranking purposes, there are times when you don’t want links to be a big deal because they offer no real SEO value or have the potential to be questionable. Nofollow tags may be used for:

• Blog comments, where it’s easier for irrelevant links to be placed
• Links that are advertisements or sponsorships
• Paid links
• Links that appear in press releases

Note: Nofollow links have no PageRank value (a Google factor), but they still have some value because they allow visitors to discover your content or site.

In a nutshell, noindex tags keep search engines from counting certain pages for ranking purposes, and nofollow tags manage link equity. How you use these tags will depend on the content presented and the purpose of your various webpages, but the ultimate goal is to optimize your online visibility while also creating a good user experience.

Digital marketers who need help using tools like meta tags to optimize their online presence and boost search rank should reach out to the trusted professionals at Saba SEO, a premier San Diego SEO company. We offer top-notch expertise in search engine optimization, online marketing campaigns, social media management, web development, and much more. To find out more about our industry-leading services, call us today at 858-277-1717.