Screpy’s Noindex Checker examines one URL for indexing instructions in its fetched HTML and X-Robots-Tag response headers. It shows the declaration, where it came from and whether it applies to Google web search. Use the evidence to investigate an unwanted restriction or confirm an intentional one. The checker reports the response it received, not whether Google has indexed the page.
Check the final response, not Google’s index
Enter a full public HTTP or HTTPS URL and run the check. Screpy follows up to five redirects, then examines the final response. Compare the requested and final addresses before interpreting the result: if an old product URL redirects to a category, the declarations belong to that final category response, not to the old product’s former HTML.
For HTML, the checker reads robots and Googlebot meta tags alongside response headers. For a PDF or another non-HTML resource, HTML tags are not applicable; X-Robots-Tag headers can still carry indexing instructions. “Not applicable” for the HTML source of a PDF is not the same as a failed fetch.
The checker does not execute JavaScript, consult robots.txt or look up Google’s index. It also does not reproduce every response received by different visitors or crawlers. A successful diagnostic fetch shows what this request received. Actual crawl access, rendered changes and recorded indexing status need their own verification.
Find the declaration that applies to Google web search
Read the source, raw value, crawler scope and applicability columns together. A general robots declaration and a Googlebot-specific declaration can both apply. A rule aimed only at another crawler is not automatically a restriction for Google web search.
This fictional example shows why finding one reassuring value is insufficient. These are illustrative declarations, not a scan of a real site.
| Observed source | Example value | Interpretation for this check |
|---|---|---|
| HTML robots meta tag | index, follow | No noindex in this declaration alone |
| HTML Googlebot meta tag | noindex | Applies to Google web search even alongside the general index value |
| X-Robots-Tag header | noindex | Another applicable source; deleting HTML alone will not remove it |
| Header scoped to otherbot | otherbot: noindex | Shown as evidence outside this check’s Google web scope |
If the first three declarations occur together, adding another index value does not cancel the applicable noindex. Google’s robots specifications explain how restrictive instructions apply when rules conflict. The value none includes both noindex and nofollow. Nofollow by itself is a different instruction and does not mean that the page carries noindex.
The parser can also find robots meta tags in the body. Move unintended placement to the head for clearer markup, but do not assume a body tag has no effect. Example tags inside comments, scripts or template contents are not treated as active declarations by this checker.
Read the finding together with coverage
“Noindex found” means an applicable declaration was observed. That positive evidence can remain valid even if another source could not be fully checked. It does not mean that Google has already processed the instruction or that the restriction was accidental.
“No noindex found” requires the relevant sources to be fully checked. Green therefore describes the absence of this directive in the checked response, not a guarantee of crawling, canonical selection or indexing. “Unknown” means the available evidence cannot establish absence. Read partial or unavailable source details instead of treating them as a pass.
A response exceeding the 2 MiB limit can leave readable evidence without a complete inspection. The 100-declaration limit, unreadable encoding or ambiguous syntax can also reduce coverage. Correct the access or interpretation problem and retest before concluding that a restriction is absent.
Review special findings separately. With noindex, indexifembedded can allow Google to index the content when embedded elsewhere; it is not a general reversal of the page’s noindex. An unavailable_after value declares an expiry rule whose date needs its own review. A malformed or uncertain date is not silently treated as a confirmed expiry, and expiry evidence is not substituted for the noindex verdict.
Correct the source and check the published URL again
First decide whether the page should appear in search. A checkout or an internal search page may intentionally carry noindex. The instruction is not authentication or protection for confidential data, so do not use it as a substitute for access controls.
For an unwanted HTML declaration, review the page’s SEO setting, template and any shared setting that emits the tag. For an unwanted header, change the configuration that adds the response header. Editing one does not remove the other. Publish the correction, then check the same URL again and review every applicable source, including the final destination after redirects.
Google’s noindex guidance requires the crawler to access a resource to see its instruction. Blocking the page in robots.txt can prevent that reading; placing noindex inside robots.txt is not supported by Google. Use the Robots.txt Tester to investigate crawl rules and the Canonical Tag Checker for separate canonical declarations.
After confirming the published response, inspect the URL in Search Console to examine Google’s recorded state and available live checks. Google needs to recrawl and process changes; removing noindex does not guarantee inclusion or an immediate return to search results.
For a separate IndexNow setup question, use IndexNow Checker. It reads your verification file and compares the key without submitting URLs; it does not establish search-engine acceptance or indexing.