Does nofollow really prevent a page from being indexed?

What is the real difference between nofollow and noindex?

The nofollow is an instruction meant for crawling and PageRank calculation — it tells Google not to follow this link to pass value, but it does not prevent the discovery or indexing of the target page.

The noindex, on the other hand, is an explicit indexing directive: it orders Google to never display this URL in search results, even if it has been crawled.

Why does Google index pages that are only pointed to by nofollow?

Because Google discovers URLs through multiple simultaneous channels: external links, XML sitemaps, browsing history, mentions on other sites. An internal nofollow link never completely isolates a page.

As soon as a URL is known and deemed relevant, Google may choose to index it — regardless of the nofollow attribute on internal links.

In what situations does this confusion cause issues?

Some SEOs still believe that adding rel='nofollow' to internal links is enough to block the indexing of sensitive pages (staging, faceted filters, intermediary pages). This is false and risky.

The result? Undesired URLs appear in the index, dilute crawl budget, create duplicate content, or expose technical pages never intended for the public.

• Nofollow = no transmission of PageRank via this link
• Noindex = formal prohibition from appearing in the SERPs
• Google can index a page even if all your internal links are nofollow
• To block indexing: meta name="robots" content="noindex" tag or HTTP header X-Robots-Tag: noindex
• Nofollow does not protect against discovery from other sources (backlinks, sitemaps)

Does this statement correct a widespread practice?

Yes, and it should put an end to a misunderstanding that has persisted for several years. Many SEOs still use nofollow as an indexing management tool — likely due to confusion with the historical behavior of robots.txt.

But let's be honest: Google has said this several times, yet this practice continues. Why? Because some SEO tools display nofollow as a crawl budget optimization solution, which perpetuates the confusion.

Can we really trust noindex?

Noindex is the only binding instruction to block indexing, but Google must be able to access it. If you block a URL with robots.txt, Google cannot crawl the page and thus never sees the noindex tag — resulting in the URL potentially remaining in the index with an empty description.

This is a classic trap: robots.txt blocks the crawl, but not necessarily the presence in the index if the URL is known from elsewhere. [To be checked] in your own logs: do some URLs blocked in robots.txt still appear in Search Console?

What nuances should be added on the ground?

Nofollow is still useful for internal sculpting — directing PageRank to your strategic pages, avoiding wasting crawl budget on ancillary links. But it never replaces noindex for sensitive pages.

What should you do practically on your site?

Audit all the pages you thought were protected by internal nofollow links. Check in Search Console if they appear in the index. If so, immediately add a noindex tag.

For technical pages, complex pagination, or filter variants — noindex is your only safeguard. Nofollow can complement this strategy but never replace it.

What mistakes should you absolutely avoid?

Never block any page you want to deindex in robots.txt. Google won’t be able to crawl the noindex tag, and the URL risks remaining visible in the SERPs with the mention “No information available”.

Don’t rely on nofollow to isolate test, staging, or confidential content pages. If an external backlink points to them, Google will index it — nofollow or not.

How can you check that your site is compliant?

• List all the URLs you never want to see indexed (admin, filters, duplicates)
• Check that they all have a noindex tag (meta or X-Robots-Tag)
• Ensure that these URLs are not blocked in robots.txt — otherwise Google will never see the noindex directive
• Run a crawl with Screaming Frog or Sitebulb to detect inconsistencies (internally nofollowed pages but indexable)
• Monitor Search Console for indexed URLs that shouldn’t be indexed
• Document your internal link management strategy: nofollow for sculpting, noindex for exclusion