Robot Meta Tags and X- X-Robot Tags both are HTTP headers that are used in order to control search engine crawlers like Googlebot or Bingbot. Both the Meta tags and X-Robot tags determine which content the crawler bots can index or interact with.
The Robots Meta Tag And X-Robots-Tag Made Clear
Robot Meta Tag is a header of the HTML content while X- Robot Tag is an HTTP header that can control non-HTML files like PDFs, Images, Videos, and so on. Both of them are super important SEO tool that determines how search engines interact with the content.
Features of Robot Meta Tags
Robot Meta Tags are nothing but an HTML element, it provide directives to search engine spider Bots like the Googlebot. The directives are regarding index or how to handle a web page. The Robot Meta Tag instructs search engines on how to index, crawl, or display the content of the page. The Robot Meta tag goes to the top of the webpage. An example of how the Robot Meta tag looks like this:
<meta name= “robots” content=” noindex” ;</p>
Features of X- ROBOT Tags
X-Robot Tags are quite similar to the Robot Meta Tags with minor differences. X-Robot Tags are part of the HTTP response header; they instruct the search engine regarding indexing actions. X-Robot Tags applies to all types of files, such as; PDFs, HTML, Images, and so on.
When a crawler wants to access information about a webpage it sends a HTTP request to the server. The server sends an HTTP response to the request. If the developer attaches X-Robot Tag to the webpage then the tag remains present in the header of the HTTP response. The crawler bot then determines whether it is allowed to crawl through the webpage or not by reviewing the X-Robot Tag.
“noindex” = Excludes specific files from search results.
“nofollow” = This makes sure that crawler bots cannot follow planted links. “none” = It corresponds to “noindex”, “nofollow”.
Meta Robots Tag & X-Robots-Tag Explained
X- Robots Tags and Robot Meta Tags are extremely powerful and efficient SEO tools that control what search engine bots can crawl through.
Uses of Robot Meta Tags
Robot meta tags are primarily used to act as a tool of communication between you and your search engine. This allows you to control bot crawlers, display page content, and index. Some examples of this would be:
- Following Certain Links on the Page
- Show a snippet of the page on the SERPs (Search Engine Results pages)
- Index a page
In simple terms Robot Meta Tag influences the behavior of a search Bot if they visit your webpage; this is essential in being able to control what appears in search engine results.
How Robot Meta Tag Influences SEO?
The role of Robot Meta Tag in SEO cannot be exaggerated; they are essential in regulating search engines crawl, and so on. This becomes essential for visiting large sites that are frequently updated. It is also helpful because there are certain types of websites that you do not want to rank in your search results, such as; Admin or Login pages
- Pages that are in the development stage
- Pages with content that has been copied from others
- Confirmation pages like, thank you and congratulations pages
It would be wise to combine other directives like X- Robot tags to help with technical Search Engine Optimization and prevent performance-harming index and crawlers.
Name Attribution
Name attribution indicates the specific crawler that the given directive applies to. In most cases Robot Meta tags target all the crawlers; to target specific crawlers, you will have to use name attribution. For example,
- Name = “Googlebot” to target crawlers in Google only.
- Name = “Bingbot” for crawlers and indexes in Bing only.
Name Attribution offers granular control for the user where he can do things like block Bing but allows Yahoo. It is helpful to comply with regional search engines
Uses of X-Robot Tags
X-Robot Tags are vital in determining the ability of search engine crawlers to crawl on non-HTML elements. This helps search engines from indexing different files like PDFs, and videos. Without X- Robot Tags it would be difficult, to prevent crawlers from crawling through all the resources. This is the major usage of X-Robot Tag but there are a few other uses as well.
- Dynamic Index Control where the web page can be hidden from specific users.
- It can prevent search engines like Google and Bing from using text snippets or cached copies.
- Time-based index removal; this is great for sites where jobs are posted and need to be removed periodically.
It would be wise to combine other directives like X- Robot tags to help with technical Search Engine Optimization and prevent performance-harming index and crawlers.
How X-Robot Tags influence SEO?
The X-Robot Tag is an extremely powerful SEO tool that determines how search engines will crawl, index, and display your content. X-Robot Tags are different and more powerful than Meta tags because they work on all types of files, unlike Meta Tags which only work on HTML files.
X-Robot Tags enforces it to the server level making it one of the most powerful and essential SEO tools. X-Robots directly influence the visibility of the webpage by preventing it from appearing as a search result. It can hide duplicate content as well; with the new Google duplicate content guidelines, this can prevent web pages from getting banned by Google.
- Can block low-value pages to ensure that the Googlebot only focuses on important content.
- Specific directive for different search engines.
FAQs
How are meta tags used to control web crawlers?
Meta tags help web crawlers like Googlebot and bingbot by instructing them process and index a webpage. Meta tags are HTML element, they are placed on the HTML header of the web page.
What is the difference between X-robots-tag and robots meta tag?
Although these two SEO tools are quite similar one of the major difference is that Robot Meta Tags are only effective on HTML files, whereas X- Robot Tags are effective on both HTML and Non HTML files. The location of X-Robot Tag HTTP response header, on the other hand the location of the X- Robot tags is in the HTML header. The file level control of Robot Meta Tags is limited whereas the control of X- Robot tags is ingrained.
Why do we use * in a robots.txt file?
X-Robot Tags are vital in determining the ability of search engine crawlers to crawl on non-HTML elements. This helps search engines from indexing different files like PDFs, and videos. Without X- Robot Tags it would be difficult, to prevent crawlers from crawling through all the resources.
What is robots.txt in SEO?
The X-Robot Tag is an extremely powerful SEO tool that determines how search engines will crawl, index, and display your content. X-Robots directly influence the visibility of the webpage by preventing it from appearing as a search result. It can block low-value pages to ensure that the Googlebot only focuses on important content. Robot.txt gives specific directive for different search engines.
Sarabjeet Singh is the Vice President of Operations at Tech2Globe and brings over 15 years of experience in various industries, including IoT, education, retail, government, FMCG, hospitality, and e-commerce. His leadership focuses on operational excellence and exceeding customer expectations, implementing contemporary solutions. Sarabjeet’s expertise spans e-commerce consulting, software development, data management, BPO/KPO support services, digital marketing, graphics, and startup consulting. He fosters a collaborative work environment, ensuring Tech2Globe delivers high-quality solutions.
