Preventing search engine indexing (noindex)
Keep your wedding website private by blocking Google and other search engines from listing it.
Want your wedding website private from Google and other search engines? You can tell search engines not to index your site. This keeps it off search results while still letting guests access it directly!
What noindex does
Tells search engines to skip your site. Google, Bing, etc. won't add your pages to search results.
Keeps your site accessible. Guests with the URL can still visit normally.
Protects privacy. Random people can't Google your names and find your wedding website.
Works for the whole site or specific pages. You can control it globally or per-page.
Why use noindex
Privacy. You don't want strangers stumbling on your wedding details.
Control who attends. Only people you give the URL to can find your site.
Personal information. If you're sharing addresses, phone numbers, or other sensitive details.
Intimate wedding. You're keeping it small and private.
How to enable noindex
- Go to Site settings
- Look for SEO, Privacy, or Search engine settings
- Find the option for Prevent search engine indexing or noindex
- Turn it on
- Click Save changes
Your site now tells search engines not to index it!
How it works
When search engines crawl the web, they look for a meta tag called "noindex". If your site has it, search engines:
- Don't add your pages to search results
- Don't cache your content
- Respect your privacy preference
This is a request, not a guarantee, but reputable search engines follow it.
What guests experience
No change for guests. If they have your URL, they can visit just like before.
Can't find you via search. Googling your names won't show your wedding site.
Direct links work. Save-the-dates, invitations, and emails with your URL still work perfectly.
Noindex vs. password protection
Noindex: Site is public but not searchable.
Password protection: Site requires a password to access.
Combination: You can use both for extra privacy!
Noindex keeps you off Google. Password protection keeps casual visitors out.
Indexing takes time
Enabling noindex: It might take a few days or weeks for search engines to remove your site from results if it was already indexed.
Disabling noindex: If you later want to be searchable, it'll take time for search engines to find and index your site.
Be patient, this stuff doesn't happen instantly!
Checking if you're indexed
Want to know if your site is in Google?
Search: site:yourweddingsite.com
If pages show up, you're indexed. If nothing shows up, you're not!
Per-page noindex
Some systems let you noindex specific pages instead of your whole site. Maybe your home page is searchable but your RSVP page isn't.
Check your theme or platform to see if this option exists!
SEO considerations
If you want people to find your site via search (maybe for a very public wedding or if you're using your site for other purposes), DON'T enable noindex!
But for most private weddings, noindex makes sense.
After the wedding
Some couples want to keep their wedding website as a searchable memory. In that case:
- Disable noindex after the wedding
- Wait for search engines to index your site
- People can find it when searching your names
Or keep noindex on to keep it private forever!
Default setting
Many wedding website platforms enable noindex by default, assuming you want privacy. Check your settings to confirm!
Noindex is a simple way to keep your wedding website private from search engines while still sharing it with your guests!