Amp Page URL Is Noindex: How to Fix This Technical SEO Issue

Understanding AMP and Noindex

What is AMP and its importance for mobile SEO

Accelerated Mobile Pages (AMP) represents a critical technology in today's mobile-dominated digital landscape, where over 60% of web traffic comes from mobile devices ^[1]. This open-source HTML framework, developed by Google, creates lightweight versions of web pages specifically optimized for mobile browsing.

AMP pages can load up to 85% faster than regular mobile pages, providing a significant advantage in user experience and engagement ^[2]. The importance of AMP became even more pronounced when Google completed its mobile-first indexing on July 5, 2024, fundamentally changing how websites are crawled and ranked ^[1].

With average mobile page load times sitting at 1. 9 seconds, and 53% of mobile users abandoning pages that take longer than 3 seconds to load, the speed advantage of AMP pages directly impacts bounce rates and conversions ^[3].

The role of noindex in search engine optimization

The noindex directive serves as a powerful instruction to search engines, explicitly telling them not to include specific pages in their search results. When Googlebot encounters a noindex tag, Google drops that page entirely from search results, regardless of the page's quality or relevance ^[5].

This directive can be implemented through meta tags in the HTML head or through X-Robots-Tag HTTP headers. While noindex has legitimate uses for keeping certain pages private or preventing duplicate content issues, its misapplication can severely damage a site's organic visibility.

For SEO professionals managing complex websites, understanding when and how to use noindex directives becomes crucial for maintaining proper search engine visibility.

How noindex affects AMP pages specifically

The combination of AMP pages and noindex directives creates a particularly problematic scenario. As Sitebulb explains, "If an AMP Page URL is noindex, this gives an explicit directive to search engines that they should NOT index the page, which means it will not end up in search results.

Since AMP is designed to be accessed through search results, this defeats the object of creating AMP pages in the first place" ^[4]. This conflict essentially neutralizes all the benefits of implementing AMP.

The resources invested in creating fast-loading, mobile-optimized pages become wasted when those pages cannot appear in search results due to noindex directives.

Identifying AMP Pages with Noindex Issues

Using Google Search Console to detect noindex AMP pages

Google Search Console provides the most direct method for identifying noindex issues on AMP pages through its URL Inspection tool. This powerful feature can identify if AMP pages aren't indexed due to noindex directives, providing clear diagnostic information ^[6]. When you inspect a URL, if 'Indexing allowed?

' shows 'No', that means your site is returning a 'noindex' tag or header that prevents Google from indexing the page ^[6]. The AMP status report in Google Search Console offers another valuable resource, showing all AMP pages with issues grouped by issue type ^[8]. This report makes it easy to identify patterns and bulk issues affecting multiple AMP pages simultaneously.

Regular monitoring of this report helps catch noindex problems before they significantly impact your search visibility.

Conducting a site audit with SEO tools

Professional SEO tools provide comprehensive auditing capabilities specifically designed for AMP validation. Screaming Frog SEO Spider stands out with 17 filters specifically for identifying AMP SEO and validation issues, using the official AMP validator for bulk validation ^[7].

This allows SEO professionals to quickly audit hundreds or thousands of AMP pages simultaneously. The SEO Spider finds AMP URLs, reports on common SEO issues, and validates them against specifications, making it an invaluable tool for large-scale AMP management ^[7].

These automated audits can identify noindex directives that might be missed during manual reviews, especially on sites with complex URL structures or dynamic content generation.

Manual inspection of AMP page source code

Sometimes the most straightforward approach proves most effective. Manual inspection involves right-clicking on the page, selecting "View Source," and using Ctrl+F (or Cmd+F on Mac) to search for "noindex" within the code ^[9].

This method allows you to see exactly how the noindex directive is implemented, whether through meta tags or HTTP headers. Manual inspection also helps identify context-specific issues that automated tools might miss.

You can verify whether noindex directives are hardcoded in templates, dynamically inserted by plugins, or added through server-side configurations.

Common Causes of AMP Page URL Noindex

Incorrect implementation of AMP tags

Technical implementation errors represent a significant source of AMP issues, with 27% of websites facing AMP HTML issues according to a SEMrush study ^[10]. The most common HTML validation errors involve using standard HTML tags instead of AMP-specific components, such as using `` instead of “ without the required width and height attributes ^[11].

Another frequent mistake involves exceeding the CSS size limit for AMP pages, which is capped at 75 KB maximum ^[12]. When developers attempt to maintain visual parity with non-AMP versions, they often inadvertently include excessive CSS that violates AMP specifications, leading to validation failures and potential indexing issues.

Unintended noindex directives in robots meta tags

Often, noindex directives appear on AMP pages unintentionally through inherited templates or global settings. Development teams might apply noindex tags during the build phase to prevent staging or development URLs from being indexed, then forget to remove these directives when moving to production.

The problem compounds when different team members manage different aspects of the site. A developer might add noindex directives for testing purposes while the SEO team remains unaware, leading to live AMP pages being blocked from search results without anyone realizing the issue exists.

Plugin conflicts in content management systems

Content management systems, particularly WordPress, present unique challenges for AMP implementation. As the AMP for WordPress documentation notes, "The AMP plugin works to ensure valid AMP pages are generated, but oftentimes external factors such as a theme, plugin, or service can alter or place invalid code on AMP pages" ^[13].

Plugin conflicts frequently cause 404 errors and blank pages due to server misconfigurations or deactivated plugins ^[11]. When AMP plugins are disabled without proper redirect implementation, previously indexed AMP URLs become inaccessible, creating crawl errors and lost rankings ^[11].

SEO plugins, caching plugins, and security plugins can all inadvertently add noindex directives to AMP pages through their various settings and configurations.

Resolving AMP Page URL Is Noindex Issues

Removing noindex directives from AMP pages

The first step in resolving noindex issues requires identifying and removing all noindex directives from affected AMP pages. Sitebulb provides clear guidance: "AMP URLs need to be indexable in order to be included in search results.

So remove any noindex directives from AMP pages, ensuring to check both the HTML and the HTTP header" ^[4]. The AMP official documentation emphasizes this critical requirement: "Do NOT add a robots noindex meta tag to your AMP HTML files.

Do NOT include noindex as X-Robots-Tag HTTP header for your AMP files" ^[14]. This means examining both the page source code and server configurations to ensure no noindex directives exist at any level.

Updating robots meta tags for proper indexing

After removing noindex directives, you must ensure proper indexing signals are in place. AMP pages must link to a canonical page, which can be either the non-AMP version or self-referential for standalone AMP pages ^[16].

This canonical relationship helps search engines understand the relationship between AMP and non-AMP versions of your content. For WordPress users, navigate to the AMP option panel, then Settings, then SEO, and disable the 'URL Inspection Tool Compatibility' option if it's causing noindex issues ^[15].

Be patient after making these changes, as Google typically takes approximately 10 days to 2 weeks to process noindex changes and update their index accordingly ^[15].

Fixing plugin settings to allow AMP indexing

Plugin configurations often require careful adjustment to prevent unintended noindex directives. Review all SEO plugin settings, particularly those related to AMP pages, robots meta tags, and indexing controls.

Many SEO plugins have separate settings for AMP pages that might override general site settings. After adjusting plugin settings, use Google's AMP Test tool to verify that pages meet all requirements and are ready for indexing ^[17].

This tool provides detailed validation results and helps ensure that your fixes have resolved all technical issues preventing proper indexing.

Preventing Future AMP Noindex Problems

Implementing a regular AMP audit process

Establishing a systematic audit process helps catch issues before they impact search visibility. As Search Engine Journal notes, "Automated tools catch issues early on, preventing further complications.

The quicker you spot problems, the easier the fix" ^[18]. Schedule monthly or quarterly audits depending on your site's size and update frequency.

The AMP testing tool checks for over 40 of the most common AMP errors, making it an essential component of your audit process ^[19]. Combine automated testing with manual spot checks to ensure comprehensive coverage of potential issues.

Best practices for AMP configuration

Maintaining proper AMP configuration requires adherence to established best practices and ongoing vigilance. Regularly monitor the AMP status report and Rich result status reports in Search Console to identify emerging issues ^[19].

Document your AMP implementation standards and ensure all team members understand the requirements. Create a checklist for new AMP page deployments that includes verification of indexing directives, canonical tags, and validation status.

This systematic approach reduces the likelihood of noindex issues appearing on new pages.

Monitoring AMP performance in search results

Continuous monitoring provides early warning of potential problems and helps maintain optimal AMP performance. The SEO Spider finds AMP URLs, reports on common SEO issues, and validates them against specifications, making it ideal for ongoing monitoring ^[7].

Keep a close eye on the AMP report in Google Search Console to ensure resolved issues no longer appear and new issues are addressed promptly ^[20]. Set up alerts for significant changes in AMP page impressions or clicks, which could indicate indexing problems.

Regular monitoring combined with proactive maintenance ensures your AMP pages continue delivering the speed and visibility benefits they're designed to provide.