Steps

Keep a page that has just changed out of search engine results. Spam Protection explains where this sits among the other defences.

1. Administer your wiki.
2. Select "Look & Feel", and then "Presentation".

   

3. Write the following in the "HTTP Meta Info" field, where 5 is the number of days a page stays out of the search results:

   #template('meta.vm')
   #if ($datetool.getDate().time - $doc.getDate().time < 5 * 24 * 60 * 60 * 1000)
   <meta name="robots" content="noindex,nofollow" />
   #end

   

4. Click "Save".
5. Open a page you have just edited and look at its HTML source: it now carries the directive that keeps search engines away.

   <meta name="robots" content="noindex,nofollow" />

FAQ

Why does delaying the indexing discourage spammers?

Spam on an active wiki is usually removed within hours by the people reading it, so a page indexed only once it has been left alone for a while is almost never indexed while it still holds spam. The technique is known as Delayed Indexing.

How long should the delay be?

Long enough for the wiki's own readers to notice a change, which is a day on a busy wiki and a week on a quiet one.

Why does the snippet start by calling a template?

Filling the field replaces the meta tags the wiki generates by itself, so the first line renders the default meta.vm template to keep the page description, the keywords, the author and the feed links.

Related

• Administer Your Wiki