How do I control indexing and noindex pages in Shopify?
Understanding Shopify’s Default Indexing
Shopify automatically manages search engine crawling through a preconfigured and optimized robots.txt file. This file tells search engine bots which URLs they can or cannot crawl.
Pages Automatically Blocked from Crawling
- /admin – Admin dashboard pages
- /cart – Customer-specific cart pages
- /checkout – Checkout pages
- /collections/*+* – Filtered collection URLs (prevents duplicate content)
- /search – Search results pages
- /policies/ – Auto-generated policy pages
Why these are blocked: These URLs don’t provide unique SEO value and could dilute ranking signals if indexed.
Methods to Control Indexing and Noindex Pages in Shopify
You can control indexing using three main methods:
- Unlisted Product Status (easiest, no coding)
- Custom Metafield (seo.hidden) (most flexible)
- Meta Robots Tag in Theme Code (technical control)
Method 1: Unlisted Product Status (Recommended for Products)
What It Does
Hidden from:
- Internet search engines
- Shopify Catalog
- Sitemap
- Storefront search
- Collection pages
- Predictive search
- Product recommendations
- Shop app feeds and search
- Third-party sales channels
Still accessible via:
- Direct URL
- Product page (Online Store)
When to Use
- Pre-launch products
- VIP or exclusive products
- Secret/test products
- Products accessible only via direct link
How to Set Unlisted Status
- Go to Products
- Select the product
- Find the Status section
- Select Unlisted
- Click Save
Method 2: Custom Metafield (seo.hidden) – Most Flexible
What It Does
Hidden from:
- Internet search engines
- Shopify Catalog
- Sitemap
- Storefront search
- Shop app feeds and search
Still visible in:
- Product page (Online Store and Shop)
- Storefront collections
- Product recommendations
- Third-party sales channels
Works for: Products, Pages, and Blog Posts.
Step 1: Create the Metafield Definition
- Go to Settings → Metafields and metaobjects
- Select resource type (Products, Pages, or Blog posts)
- Click Add definition
- Name: SEO Hidden
- Namespace and key: seo.hidden (must be exact)
- Select type: Integer
- Set Maximum value to 1
- Click Save
Step 2: Apply to Resources
- Open the product, page, or blog post
- Find the SEO Hidden metafield
- Set value to 1
- Click Save
To make visible again: Remove the value and save.
Bulk editing: Use Shopify Bulk Editor to apply the metafield to multiple products at once.
Method 3: Add Noindex Meta Tag in Theme Code
This method adds a <meta name="robots" content="noindex"> tag to specific templates.
When to Use
- Custom landing pages
- Thank-you pages
- Specific templates
- Advanced SEO control
How to Add Noindex Tag
Step 1: Access Theme Code
- Online Store → Themes
- Click … → Edit code
- Open theme.liquid
Step 2: Add Inside the <head> Section
Exclude search template:
{% if template contains 'search' %}
{% endif %}
Exclude a specific page or product:
{% if handle contains 'exclusive-secret-product' %}
{% endif %}
Step 3: Click Save.
Understanding and Editing robots.txt
Default robots.txt location: yourstore.myshopify.com/robots.txt
To Customize:
- Online Store → Themes
- Click … → Edit code
- Create or edit robots.txt.liquid
- Save changes
Important: Only modify robots.txt if you fully understand SEO implications. To restore defaults, delete robots.txt.liquid.
Control Shop App Indexing
Disable Shop App Search Indexing
- Go to Settings → Sales channels
- Click Shop
- Open Settings
- Disable Search engine indexing
Search engines may take several days or weeks to remove indexed pages.
Request Google Recrawling
Option 1: URL Inspection Tool
Use Google Search Console → URL Inspection → Request Indexing.
Option 2: Submit Sitemap
Submit your sitemap in Google Search Console to trigger recrawling.
Best Practices
Do
- Use Unlisted for maximum hiding
- Use seo.hidden for flexible control
- Request recrawling after changes
- Keep default robots.txt unless necessary
Don’t
- Block important product or collection pages
- Edit robots.txt without SEO knowledge
- Use multiple hiding methods on the same page
- Expect instant deindexing
Controlling indexing in Shopify helps protect SEO value, prevent duplicate content issues, and ensure search engines focus only on your most important pages.
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