Definition

Meta robots

Updated Feb 9, 2026

Definition

Meta robots is an HTML meta tag that gives search engines page-level crawling and indexing instructions (e.g. noindex, nofollow).

Plain English

It's a per-page instruction that says "index this" or "don't index this" to search engines.

Why it matters

  • An accidental noindex blocks the page from search entirely.
  • nofollow on internal links can waste link equity.
  • Meta robots override broader signals when present.