How do I set noindex on a Drupal content page?

Definition: In Drupal's Metatag module, a content page receives a noindex directive through the Robots setting in its meta tags form. The directive asks supporting search engines to exclude the page from their index while allowing them to fetch the page and read the instruction.

Key facts

• As of 17 October 2026, Drupal's Metatag project page documents both site-wide defaults and overrides for individual content items.
• Drupal's standard usage guide requires a Meta tags field on the content type for editors to override an individual page's metadata.
• The Robots setting guide places the indexing exclusion option in the Advanced section.
• Google's noindex documentation requires crawl access so Googlebot can read the directive.

How is per-page editing enabled?

Metatag must be installed. The module uses the term node for an individual content item. The module's standard usage scenario describes adding the field that enables individual overrides:

1. The administrator opens the content type's Manage fields screen.
2. In Add a new field, the administrator selects Meta tags.
3. The field receives a label and machine name, then the administrator selects Save and continue.

The same guide places global and entity defaults at Configuration > Search > Metatag, with the path /admin/config/search/metatag. For an exclusion limited to an individual content page, the relevant control is the field on that content item. Changing a default can affect other content within its scope.

Which Robots option applies noindex?

On the content item's edit form, the editor opens the meta tags controls, expands Advanced and finds Robots. Drupal's Robots guide gives the option's label as “Prevents search engines from indexing this page.” The editor selects that option and saves the content item.

A Metatag maintainer's answer explicitly identifies this selection as the NOINDEX option. The Robots form also offers a separate option for preventing search engines from following links. That is a separate decision from excluding the page from an index.

How is the saved directive checked?

After saving, the public page's HTML should contain a robots meta tag with noindex in its content value. Google's implementation example shows this minimal form in the HTML head:

<meta name="robots" content="noindex">

Other selected Robots options can add values to the same tag. Checking the delivered HTML confirms the output of the saved configuration.

Google's documentation also recommends Search Console's URL Inspection tool to inspect the HTML Googlebot receives. Its Page Indexing report tracks pages where Googlebot extracts a noindex rule. A robots.txt block prevents Googlebot from reading the tag, so crawl access remains necessary. Google must revisit a previously indexed page to process the change.

Related terms

• noindex
• robots.txt
• How do I set default meta tags in Drupal's Metatag module?
• How do I restrict who can edit meta tags in Drupal?

FAQ

Why is the per-page Meta tags control missing?

Check whether your content type has a Meta tags field. Drupal's usage guide makes that field the prerequisite for editing an individual content item's metadata.

Must I also select nofollow?

You can choose link-following restrictions separately. Drupal's Robots guide lists indexing exclusion and link-following exclusion as distinct options.

Why does the page still appear in Google after I save it?

Google may still need to crawl your updated page. Google's debugging guidance recommends checking crawl access and using URL Inspection to verify that Googlebot receives the directive.

Sources

1. Drupal.org (reader copy), "Metatag", updated 28 January 2026
2. Drupal.org (reader copy), "Standard usage scenario", updated 18 November 2024
3. Drupal.org (reader copy), "HowTo: Block search engines from reading or indexing a specific page", updated 31 January 2023
4. Drupal.org (reader copy), "Metatag for single node", maintainer comment 10 December 2019
5. Google Search Central, "Block Search indexing with noindex", updated 10 December 2025

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