What is the recommended method for hiding CMS item pages from Google search results in Webflow? Can the NOFOLLOW meta tag be applied to all CMS pages or is a Robots.txt file the only option?

In Webflow, the recommended method for hiding CMS item pages from Google search results is through the use of the NOINDEX meta tag. This method is preferred over using the NOFOLLOW meta tag as it specifically instructs search engines not to index the page, ensuring that it doesn't show up in search results.

To apply the NOINDEX meta tag to CMS item pages in Webflow, follow these steps:

1. Go to the Pages panel in your Webflow project.
2. Locate the CMS item pages you want to hide from search results.
3. Click on the gear icon next to the specific CMS item page you want to modify.
4. In the settings panel that appears, navigate to the SEO settings section.
5. Enable the "Hide from search engines" option.
6. Save and publish your changes.

By following these steps, Webflow will automatically add the NOINDEX meta tag to the CMS item pages you have selected, which effectively tells search engines not to include those pages in search results.

In contrast, using the ROBOTS.TXT file in Webflow is not the recommended method for hiding CMS item pages from search results. The ROBOTS.TXT file is typically used to manage the crawling and indexing behavior of search engine bots for the entire website, but it is not granular enough to selectively hide specific CMS item pages. Therefore, it's best to rely on the NOINDEX meta tag for this specific purpose.

It's worth noting that even though you can hide CMS item pages from search results with the NOINDEX meta tag, it doesn't guarantee complete exclusion. While most search engines adhere to the NOINDEX directive, some might still crawl and index the pages occasionally. If strict exclusion is crucial, you can consider using additional measures like password protection or creating a separate section of your website that is not linked from other pages, effectively making it harder for search engines to discover those CMS item pages.