Google’s Search Relations team has released a new SEO Office Hours video with Martin Splitt.
He tackles a common problem many website owners face: unwanted noindex tags that keep pages out of search results.
In the video, Splitt helps a user named Balant who couldn’t remove a noindex tag from their website. Balant wanted their page to be public, but the tag prevented this.
Where Unwanted Noindex Tags Come From
Splitt listed several places where unwanted noindex tags might be hiding:
“Make sure that it’s not in the source code, it’s not coming from JavaScript, it’s not coming from a third-party JavaScript.”
Splitt pointed out that A/B testing tools often cause this problem. These tools sometimes add noindex tags to test versions of your pages without you realizing it.
CDN & Cache Problems
If you use a Content Delivery Network (CDN), Splitt warned that old cached versions might still have noindex tags even after you remove them from your site.
Splitt explained:
“If you had a noindex in and you’re using a CDN, it might be that the cache hasn’t updated yet.”
Check Your CMS Settings & Plugins
Splitt explained that your Content Management System (CMS) settings might be adding noindex tags without you knowing.
He said:
“If you’re using a CMS, there might be settings or plugins for SEO, and there might be something like ‘allow search engines to index this content’ or ‘to access this content,’ and you want to make sure that’s set.”
Splitt added that settings labeled as “disallow search engines” should be unchecked if you want your content to appear in search results.
See the full video:
Debugging Process for Persistent Noindex Issues
If you’re dealing with stubborn noindex problems, Splitt suggests checking these places in order:
- Check your HTML source code directly
- Look at JavaScript files that might add meta tags
- Review third-party scripts, especially testing tools
- Check if your CDN cache needs updating
- Look at your CMS settings and SEO plugins
What This Means For SEO Professionals
Google’s advice shows why thorough technical SEO checks are essential. Modern websites are complex with dynamic content and third-party tools, so finding technical SEO problems takes deeper digging.
SEO professionals should regularly crawl their sites with tools that process JavaScript. This practice provides a deeper understanding of how search engines interpret your pages, going beyond the basic HTML and revealing the true visibility of your content.
Google keeps covering these basic technical issues in its videos, suggesting that even well-designed websites often struggle with indexing problems.
If your pages aren’t showing up in search results, use Google’s URL Inspection tool in the Search Console. This shows you how Google sees your page and whether any noindex tags exist.