Blogger GuidesBlogger custom robots header tags: noindex, nofollow, noarchive
Header tags are the polite way to say "do not list this page". Blogger lets you set them for groups of pages and for single posts.
What they are
A robots header tag is an instruction sent with the page, such as noindex ("do not show this page in search results"), nofollow ("do not follow the links on it") or noarchive ("do not keep a cached copy"). Unlike robots.txt, a page that carries noindex can be visited by the crawler and is then removed from the results.
Turn them on for groups of pages
Blogger's help gives these steps:
- Open Settings.
- Under Crawlers and indexing, turn on Enable custom robots header tags.
- Click Home page tags, Archive and search page tags, or Post and page tags.
- Choose the options you want for each group and Save.
The three groups are:
| Group | What it covers |
|---|---|
| Home page tags | Your main page |
| Archive and search page tags | Date archives, label pages and search result pages |
| Post and page tags | Individual posts and pages |
A common setup
Many bloggers keep the home page and posts indexed ("all") and set noindex on archive and search pages, because lists of posts repeat content that exists on the posts themselves. Note that Blogger's default robots.txt already asks crawlers to skip /search, where label and search pages live.
Hide one post
Blogger's help says to open the post editor and, in the post settings under Custom robots tags, turn on No index. Use it for thank-you pages, drafts you must publish for some reason, and duplicate content.
Links: nofollow
To tell search engines not to follow a link, edit the post, click Link and Create/edit URL, tick Add 'rel=nofollow' attribute and click OK. Use it for paid links, user-submitted links and links you do not vouch for.
Warnings
- Do not set noindex on posts or the home page unless you mean it. It removes them from search.
- Do not combine robots.txt blocking and noindex for the same page: the crawler cannot read noindex on a page it may not visit.
- Changes take effect when search engines next visit. It can take days or weeks.
Check your work
View the page source in your browser and search for robots. A tag such as <meta content='noindex' name='robots'/> shows that the setting is active.
What is the difference between noindex and robots.txt?
Robots.txt controls visiting. Noindex controls listing. To keep a page out of results, use noindex.
Will noindex affect my other pages?
Not directly. It affects only the pages that carry it.
Sources
Read on 13 November 2026. Steps and screen names can change; compare with the current help page.
This is an independent guide. It is not connected with Google or Blogger. Blogger, AdSense and Google are names of Google LLC. The steps follow Blogger Help and AdSense Help as read on 13 November 2026; the Blogger screens change from time to time, so a menu may be named a little differently on your screen.