Take your Joomla site’s SEO to the next level with "System - Meta Robots," a game-changing plugin that expands Joomla’s Metadata parameters with a comprehensive suite of Meta Robots options—everything Google and other search engines care about. Say goodbye to limited choices and hello to precision control over how your content is indexed, crawled, and displayed in search results.
How It Works
Inspired by a forum user’s question—“Why can’t I set noarchive in Meta Robots?”—I created this plugin to address Joomla’s default four options (index/noindex, follow/nofollow) and unlock a wealth of additional possibilities. The original version added seven critical tags: unavailableafter, notranslate, noimageindex, noydir, noodp, nosnippet, and noarchive. But with the new J5 rewrite, I’ve gone further, implementing every Meta Robots and X-Robots-Tag option published by Google—plus a few extras I discovered through research. Drawing on authoritative resources like developers.google.com/crawling-indexing and Conductor.com Academy, I’ve crafted a tool that prevents conflicting options (e.g., index and noindex together) while offering unmatched flexibility.
v5.0.3
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Unlocking Advanced SEO with Meta Robots
This plugin lets you fine-tune your site’s visibility with tags like all, none, nosnippet, noarchive, indexifembedded, max-snippet:[n], max-image-preview:[size], max-video-preview:[n], notranslate, noimageindex, and the game-changing unavailable_after:[date]. That last one, in particular, answers a long-standing question of mine: Can you make a page disappear from Google’s index? Yes—set unavailable_after with a date, and Google will stop showing the page in search results after that time, perfect for event pages or time-sensitive content.
Flexible Application
"System - Meta Robots" integrates seamlessly across Joomla, working in:
- Global Configuration
- Articles
- Menu Items
- Categories
- Weblinks (and categories)
- Newsfeeds (and categories)
- Contacts (and categories)
For a playful touch, I’ve underlined global config options in other areas where the plugin runs, giving you a heads-up on defaults—check the screenshots for a sneak peek!
See System - Meta Robots In Action
View the source of this page (or any on my site)—you’ll spot Meta Robots data like index, follow, indexifembedded, max-snippet: -1, max-image-preview: large, max-video-preview: -1 and matching X-Robots-Tag headers in the HTTP response. Experience the power firsthand!
Features
- Expanded Options: Adds 11+ Meta Robots tags, including unavailable_after, nosnippet, and max-video-preview.
- X-Robots-Tag Support: Optionally includes HTTP headers for advanced control.
- Universal Application: Works across Joomla’s core areas—global, articles, menus, and more.
- Conflict Prevention: Ensures no contradictory options are applied.
- User-Friendly Hints: Underlined global defaults visible in configuration areas.
Elevate your Joomla SEO with "System - Meta Robots"—the definitive tool for precision indexing control. Ready to dominate search engines?
Download the Plugin
System - Meta Robots 5.0.33838
Frequently Asked Questions:
Doesn't robots.txt do this?
It can do some of it, but individual page rules are more flexible, convenient, and efficient.
What is the "System - Meta Robots" plugin?
It’s a Joomla plugin that enhances SEO by expanding Joomla’s default Metadata options with a full suite of Meta Robots tags and X-Robots-Tag headers. It gives you precise control over how search engines like Google crawl, index, and display your content.
Why was this plugin created?
It was inspired by a forum user asking why Joomla couldn’t set the noarchive tag in Meta Robots. The developer expanded Joomla’s limited options (index/noindex, follow/nofollow) to include every Google-supported Meta Robots tag, plus additional useful ones.
What Meta Robots tags does it add?
It includes tags like unavailable_after:[date], nosnippet, noarchive, notranslate, noimageindex, max-snippet:[n], max-image-preview:[size], max-video-preview:[n], indexifembedded, noydir, noodp, all, and none, among others—far beyond Joomla’s defaults.
What’s the unavailable_after tag, and why is it special?
This tag lets you set a date after which a page will stop appearing in Google’s search results. It’s perfect for time-sensitive content like event pages, answering the question: "Can I make a page disappear from Google’s index?"
How does it prevent conflicting options?
The plugin ensures incompatible tags (e.g., index and noindex) aren’t applied together, maintaining logical SEO settings and avoiding confusion for search engines.
Where can I use this plugin in Joomla?
It works across multiple areas: Global Configuration, Articles, Menu Items, Categories, Weblinks (and categories), Newsfeeds (and categories), and Contacts (and categories), offering universal SEO control.
What are X-Robots-Tag headers, and does the plugin support them?
X-Robots-Tag headers are HTTP response headers that provide the same instructions as Meta Robots tags but apply to non-HTML files (e.g., PDFs). Yes, the plugin optionally includes these for advanced control.
How can I see it in action?
View the source code of the developer’s site pages or check HTTP response headers. You’ll see tags like index, follow, indexifembedded, max-snippet: -1, max-image-preview: large, max-video-preview: -1, demonstrating its real-time application.
What’s the benefit of tags like max-snippet or max-image-preview?
These tags let you limit snippet length (max-snippet:[n]), control image preview size (max-image-preview:[size]), or set video preview duration (max-video-preview:[n]) in search results, tailoring how your content appears to users.
How do I install and configure it?
Install it via Joomla’s extension manager, then set Meta Robots options in Global Configuration or specific content areas (e.g., articles, menus). You can customize tags for each section as needed.
Does it work with Joomla 5?
Yes, it’s rewritten for Joomla 5, ensuring compatibility and performance with the latest version, building on the original plugin’s capabilities.
What’s the deal with underlined global config options?
In areas where the plugin applies (e.g., articles, menus), global config options are underlined to show defaults. This visual hint helps you understand what’s inherited from global settings—check the screenshots for examples.
Who should use this plugin?
It’s perfect for Joomla administrators or SEO professionals who want detailed control over search engine behavior, especially for sites with diverse content types or time-sensitive pages.
Can it improve my site’s SEO rankings?
Indirectly, yes—by optimizing how content is indexed and displayed (e.g., removing outdated snippets with noarchive or hiding pages after a date with unavailable_after), it can enhance user experience and relevance, which may boost rankings.
Why choose "System - Meta Robots" over Joomla’s default options?
Joomla’s built-in options are limited to four basic tags. This plugin offers 11+ advanced tags, X-Robots-Tag support, conflict prevention, and universal application, making it a comprehensive SEO tool for modern web standards.
