How do I hide a Squarespace page from search results?

Definition: As of 17 October 2026, Squarespace's Hide page from search results setting adds a noindex tag through a page's SEO settings. A noindex tag is an instruction for supporting search engines to exclude a page from their search index, the collection of pages eligible for search results.

Key facts

• Squarespace's search exclusion guide lists the page settings method as available in all plans and says it removes the page from the sitemap, the site's list of page URLs.
• Google's noindex documentation requires the page to remain accessible to its crawler, the software that fetches pages. Blocking access through robots.txt prevents Google from reading the instruction.
• Google's URL Inspection documentation distinguishes the indexed version of a page from a live test that fetches its current version.

Where is the page-level setting?

The sequence in Squarespace's instructions for adding the tag in page settings starts in the Pages panel. Hovering over the target page reveals its gear icon. The gear icon opens page settings, where the SEO tab contains Hide page from search results. Switching that toggle on applies the exclusion setting.

Squarespace describes this as its built-in method for adding noindex. Its guide also supplies the following HTML snippet for the separate code injection method, which illustrates the instruction involved:

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

The page settings method requires no manual code. The same guide distinguishes its sitemap effect: the toggle removes the page from the sitemap, while a page hidden through code injection stays in the sitemap.

Which pages does the setting affect?

Squarespace's comparison of exclusion methods says homepages and individual collection items lack the Hide page from search results toggle. A collection page groups items such as products on a store page. Applying noindex to that collection page also tells search engines to exclude its items, including the individual products.

The guide says individual collection items and portfolio sub-pages cannot be excluded separately using these methods. Index pages have a different scope: adding the tag to the main Index leaves its sub-pages unaffected, so exclusion requires the tag on each relevant sub-page as well.

The tag also leaves pages eligible for Squarespace's internal site search. Its documented purpose concerns external search engines.

How can the exclusion be checked?

Google's noindex troubleshooting guidance says Google must crawl a page to read its tags. An existing result can remain while Google has yet to fetch the changed page. The same documentation directs site owners to URL Inspection to examine the HTML Google receives and check whether noindex is visible.

In Google's URL Inspection tool, Test live URL checks the current page. The Indexing allowed? field reports whether the page explicitly disallows indexing and explains the reason when it does. Comparing live and indexed results helps identify a change that Google has yet to process. Crawl access matters throughout: a robots.txt block can prevent the crawler from seeing noindex.

Related terms

• noindex
• Can Google read noindex on a page blocked by robots.txt?
• Does hiding a Squarespace page remove it from the sitemap?
• How do I add noindex to a Squarespace homepage?

FAQ

Do I need a paid code injection feature?

You can use the page settings toggle on all plans, according to Squarespace's exclusion guide. The built-in method requires no code knowledge.

Why does my page still appear in Google?

Google's noindex documentation says it needs to crawl your page after the instruction is added. It also identifies robots.txt blocks as a reason its crawler cannot read the tag.

Can I test the change before Google updates its index?

Yes. Google's URL Inspection guide describes Test live URL as a check of your current page; the initial inspection results describe the version held in Google's index.

Sources

1. Squarespace, "Hiding your site from search results", 22 May 2026
2. Google Search Central, "Block Search indexing with noindex", 10 December 2025
3. Google Search Console Help, "URL Inspection tool", undated

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