Keep search results pages out of Google

Your site’s search results pages tell search engines not to index them. They’re thin, endless and a favourite of spammers who link to searches.

Type PHP
Runs Everywhere (runs as WordPress loads)
Category SEO
Tested with WordPress 7.1

PHP

<?php

add_filter(
	'wp_robots',
	static function ( $robots ) {
		if ( is_search() ) {
			$robots['noindex'] = true;
			$robots['follow']  = true;
		}
		return $robots;
	}
);

In these packs

SEO basics: Meta descriptions, social sharing tags, article structured data and cleaner indexing, for sites without an SEO plugin.

Install it in one click

It's already in the Snipfire plugin's library. Enter your site's address and it opens there, ready to install. It arrives switched off, and Snipfire checks the code and test-loads your site before you switch it on.

Needs Snipfire on that site and you logged in as an administrator. Your address stays in this browser; we don't see it. Get Snipfire free

Or add it by hand

Click + New and choose PHP.
Paste the code and give it a name.
Where: Everywhere (runs as WordPress loads).
Save and switch it on.

Works in any snippet plugin, or a child theme's functions.php. Without the safety net, though.

In these packs

More SEO snippets

Move your snippets over this afternoon.