Why Your Website Pages Might Not Be Showing on Google (And How to Fix It)

Have you ever wondered why some of your website pages don’t appear on Google search? One common reason is something called a noindex tag. It’s a small piece of code that tells Google, “Don’t show this page in search results.” Sometimes it’s added on purpose, but other times, it sneaks in without you knowing.

Recently, Google’s Martin Splitt shared in an SEO Office Hours video that many site owners face this issue. He explained where these unwanted noindex tags can come from and how to find and remove them.

Here’s what you should check:

1. Page Source Code: Open your page and check the HTML. Look for a meta tag that says “noindex.” If it’s there, Google won’t index that page.

2. JavaScript scripts on your site may add a noindex tag after the page loads. These can be harder to spot, so use tools like Chrome DevTools to inspect what’s added after rendering.

3. Third-Party ToolsA/B testing tools or other plugins might accidentally add a noindex tag to test versions of your pages.

4. Content Delivery Network (CDN)Even if you remove the noindex tag, an old cached version of your page on the CDN might still have it. Clear the cache to fix this.

5. CMS Settings & Plugins you’re using WordPress or another CMS, check your SEO plugin or visibility settings. Some plugins have an option like “discourage search engines from indexing this page.”

How to Know If Your Page Has a Noindex Tag?

Use Google Search Console’s URL Inspection Tool. It shows exactly how Google sees your page and whether it’s blocked from being indexed.

What I Thought?

Noindex tags are useful when you want to hide certain pages, like admin areas or test pages. But when used by mistake, they can stop important content from showing on Google. Regularly check your website’s technical settings and use tools that process JavaScript, especially for modern sites.

Watch Martin Splitt explain it here