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The `<meta name="robots">` tag controls **how search engines index the page** and **how they handle its links**.

It gives search bots (Googlebot, Bingbot, and others) **instructions** about whether they may:
- add the page to search results,
- follow links inside it,
- save a cached copy of the page, and so on.

---

### 1. Syntax

```html
<meta name="robots" content="index, follow">
```

Here:

- `name="robots"`: indicates that these are instructions for search bots;
- `content`: sets **what they are allowed or forbidden to do**.

---

### 2. Main values of `content`

| Value | What it does | Example |
|---|---|---|
| `index` | Allows indexing the page (include in search) | `<meta name="robots" content="index">` |
| `noindex` | Forbids indexing (do not add to search) | `<meta name="robots" content="noindex">` |
| `follow` | Allows following links on the page | `<meta name="robots" content="follow">` |
| `nofollow` | Forbids following links (does not pass weight) | `<meta name="robots" content="nofollow">` |
| `noarchive` | Forbids caching the page in the search engine | `<meta name="robots" content="noarchive">` |
| `nosnippet` | Forbids showing a description (snippet) in results | `<meta name="robots" content="nosnippet">` |
| `noimageindex` | Forbids indexing images from this page | `<meta name="robots" content="noimageindex">` |

---

### 3. Commonly used combinations

#### Allow everything (default):

```html
<meta name="robots" content="index, follow">
```

#### Do not index, but allow following links:

```html
<meta name="robots" content="noindex, follow">
```

(often used for cart pages, account pages, forms, and so on)

#### Completely forbid indexing and links:

```html
<meta name="robots" content="noindex, nofollow">
```

#### Forbid cache and description:

```html
<meta name="robots" content="noarchive, nosnippet">
```

---

### 4. When to use it

- For **auxiliary pages** that should not appear in search (cart, profile, filters).
- For **duplicate pages**, to avoid SEO cannibalization.
- For **admin or private sections**, if there is no access to the `robots.txt` file.

---

### 5. The difference between `<meta name="robots">` and `robots.txt`

| Feature | `<meta name="robots">` | `robots.txt` |
|---|---|---|
| Applies to | A specific page | The whole site or section |
| Control level | HTML | Server level |
| Can control indexing | Yes | No (only blocks access) |
| Location | Inside `<head>` | Separate file at the site root |

---

### Summary:

| Parameter | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Tag | `<meta name="robots">` |
| Location | Inside `<head>` |
| Purpose | Controls indexing and link handling |
| Key values | `index`, `noindex`, `follow`, `nofollow`, `noarchive`, `nosnippet` |
| SEO importance | Lets you control which pages search engines can see |

---

**In simple terms:**
`<meta name="robots">` is an **instruction for search engines**:

> "May this page be shown in search, and may its links be followed?"

It helps manage indexing **precisely**, without removing the page from the site.

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