Meta robots tags are essential for controlling how search engines handle specific pages on your website. With the Index and Crawl Optimizer, you can easily customize these tags for various types of pages. Below is a guide to help you understand the best practices for setting up meta robots tags based on your store’s needs.
1. Product Pages
Recommended Tag:
index, follow
Why?
- Product pages are valuable for search engines and should be indexed so they appear in search results.
- Links on the page, such as related products, should be followed to distribute link equity.
2. Category Pages
Recommended Tag:
index, follow
Why?
- Category pages often group related products and are important for SEO.
- Allowing indexing ensures they rank for category-specific keywords.
Optional Changes:
If the category has no products, use noindex, follow to prevent empty categories from appearing in search results.
3. Information Pages (e.g., About Us, Privacy Policy)
Recommended Tag:
index, follow
Why?
- These pages often provide critical information and help establish trust with visitors and search engines.
- They should be visible in search results.
4. Manufacturer Pages
Recommended Tag:
index, follow
Why?
- These pages can be useful for users searching for products by specific manufacturers.
- Allowing indexing helps these pages contribute to your site’s SEO.
5. Special or Offer Pages
Recommended Tag:
index, follow
Why?
- Special or offer pages are highly relevant for driving traffic during promotions.
- Indexing ensures they appear in search results for deals and offers.
6. Search Pages
Recommended Tag:
noindex, follow
Why?
- Search pages generate dynamic and often duplicate content, which is not useful for search engines.
- Prevent indexing while allowing crawlers to follow links on the page.
7. Tag Pages
Recommended Tag:
noindex, follow
Why?
- Like search pages, tag pages can result in thin or duplicate content.
- Prevent indexing to avoid diluting your SEO while allowing link crawling.
8. Cart and Checkout Pages
Recommended Tag:
noindex, nofollow
Why?
- These pages are private and transactional in nature, so they do not need to appear in search results.
- Links on these pages are not typically beneficial for SEO and should not be followed.
9. Account Pages (e.g., Login, Register, Affiliate Pages)
Recommended Tag:
noindex, nofollow
Why?
- These pages are for private use and should not be indexed or have their links followed.
10. Gift Voucher Pages
Recommended Tag:
noindex, nofollow
Why?
- Like account pages, gift voucher pages are transactional and do not add value to search results.
11. Contact Pages
Recommended Tag:
noindex, nofollow
Why?
- While useful for visitors, these pages don’t typically contribute to search engine rankings.
12. Blog Pages (Journal3 Template)
Recommended Tag:
index, follow
Why?
- Blogs are a great way to drive traffic and boost SEO.
- Indexing ensures these pages rank for relevant keywords, and links are followed to improve link structure.
13. Not Found (404) Pages
Recommended Tag:
noindex, nofollow
Why?
- These pages indicate an error and should not appear in search results or pass link equity.
How to Apply These Settings with the Extension
- Default Settings: When you install the extension, default meta robots tags are applied to pages based on best practices.
- Customize Tags: Navigate to the extension settings in the OpenCart admin panel and update tags for each page type to suit your specific needs.
- Handle Empty Pages: The extension automatically adds
noindex, nofollowtags to pages with no content (e.g., empty categories or disabled products). - Add Custom Routes: Use the custom route feature to manage meta robots tags for additional pages not covered by default.
Conclusion
By understanding and applying the appropriate meta robots tags to your OpenCart store, you can improve your site’s SEO, control which pages appear in search results, and ensure efficient crawling by search engines. Use this guide as a reference while configuring the Index and Crawl Optimizer extension to suit your business needs.