XML-RPC

What Is XML-RPC?

XML-RPC is a communication feature built into WordPress that allows external applications to interact with your website.

It was created to allow tools and services to connect to WordPress remotely.

Examples of XML-RPC usage include:

• Publishing posts from external applications
• Managing WordPress remotely
• Connecting mobile apps
• Integrating third-party services

The XML-RPC endpoint is usually located at:

https://yourwebsite.com/xmlrpc.php

Why Does XML-RPC Matter?

For websites that do not use XML-RPC, leaving it enabled provides an additional feature that may not be needed.

Because XML-RPC allows remote requests, attackers may attempt to use it for:

• Password guessing attacks
• Automated login attempts
• Server resource abuse

This does not mean XML-RPC automatically makes a website unsafe, but unused features increase the number of things that need to be monitored.

What Problems Can XML-RPC Cause?

If XML-RPC is enabled and not required, it may contribute to:

• Increased automated attack attempts
• Additional server requests
• Unnecessary exposure of a remote access feature

On websites with limited resources, large numbers of automated XML-RPC requests can also affect performance.

Should XML-RPC Always Be Disabled?

Not necessarily.

Disable XML-RPC if:

✅ Your website does not use remote publishing
✅ You do not use the WordPress mobile app
✅ No external services require XML-RPC

Keep XML-RPC enabled if you use:

• WordPress mobile apps
• Remote publishing tools
• Services that specifically require XML-RPC

How To Disable XML-RPC

There are several ways to disable XML-RPC.

Option 1: Security Plugin

Many WordPress security plugins include an option to disable XML-RPC.

Enable the setting that blocks XML-RPC requests if your website does not need it.

Option 2: Hosting or Server Settings

Some hosting providers allow XML-RPC access to be restricted through:

• Security settings
• Web application firewalls
• Server configuration

Option 3: Custom Code

Developers can disable XML-RPC through WordPress filters or server rules.

This should only be done carefully because incorrect changes can affect website functionality.

How Pixeljuice Checks XML-RPC

Pixeljuice checks whether the WordPress XML-RPC endpoint is accessible.

The check helps identify whether this remote communication feature is enabled and available.

If XML-RPC is not required, disabling it can reduce unnecessary exposure.

Summary

XML-RPC is a built-in WordPress communication feature that allows external services to connect with your website.

For websites that do not use it, disabling XML-RPC can reduce unnecessary exposure and simplify website security.

Before disabling it, confirm that your website does not rely on:

✅ WordPress mobile apps
✅ Remote publishing tools
✅ Third-party integrations

A feature that is not needed is usually better disabled.

Mixed Content

What Is Mixed Content?

Mixed content happens when a website uses both secure HTTPS connections and insecure HTTP connections on the same page.

HTTPS protects information between the visitor and the website by encrypting the connection.

However, if a secure page loads files using HTTP, the browser may consider part of the page unsafe.

Example:

A secure page:

https://yourwebsite.com/about-us

loads an image:

http://yourwebsite.com/uploads/logo.png

The page is HTTPS, but the image is being loaded through an insecure connection.

This is called mixed content.

Why Does Mixed Content Matter?

Mixed content can cause problems because visitors may not be receiving a completely secure browsing experience.

Potential issues include:

• Browser security warnings
• Missing images or scripts
• Broken website features
• Reduced visitor trust
• Search engine quality concerns

Modern browsers actively block some insecure resources to protect users.

What Types of Files Can Cause Mixed Content?

Common examples include:

• Images
• JavaScript files
• CSS files
• Fonts
• Videos
• Embedded content
• External services

For example:

❌ Incorrect:

http://example.com/image.jpg

✅ Correct:

https://example.com/image.jpg

Why Does This Happen?

Mixed content is usually caused by:

• Moving a website from HTTP to HTTPS
• Old links saved in the database
• Outdated plugins or themes
• Manually added HTML code
• External services still using HTTP URLs

A website may have been converted to HTTPS successfully, but old references can remain.

How To Fix Mixed Content

1. Check WordPress Address Settings

Go to:

WordPress Dashboard → Settings → General

Confirm that both are using HTTPS:

WordPress Address (URL)
https://yourwebsite.com

Site Address (URL)
https://yourwebsite.com

2. Update Old HTTP Links

Search your website content for “http:” and change the links to “https:”

Common places to check:

• Pages
• Posts
• Widgets
• Theme settings
• Plugin settings

3. Update Media Links

Images uploaded before HTTPS migration may still contain HTTP URLs.

Review older content and update any insecure media references.

4. Check Plugins and Themes

Some plugins or themes may load resources incorrectly.

Make sure:

• Plugins are updated
• Themes are updated
• Third-party scripts use HTTPS

5. Check External Resources

If your website loads content from another website, ensure that service supports HTTPS.

Examples:

• Fonts
• Analytics scripts
• Embedded videos
• External widgets

How Pixeljuice Checks Mixed Content

Pixeljuice checks your homepage HTML for resources loaded using HTTP while your website is running on HTTPS.

The scan looks for insecure:

• Images
• Links
• Scripts
• Other referenced resources

If HTTP resources are detected, they should be reviewed and updated.

Summary

A website should ideally load all content through HTTPS.

Fixing mixed content helps maintain:

✅ Visitor trust
✅ Browser security indicators
✅ Website reliability
✅ A fully secure HTTPS experience

A valid SSL certificate protects your website, but all resources on the page must also use secure HTTPS links.

Plugin Updates

What Are WordPress Plugin Updates?

WordPress plugins add extra features and functionality to your website.

Examples include:

• Contact forms
• SEO tools
• Security features
• Backup systems
• Website builders
• Ecommerce features
• Performance improvements

Plugin updates are released by developers to improve, maintain, and secure these features.

Why Are Plugin Updates Important?

Plugins are constantly improved to:

• Fix security issues
• Remove bugs
• Improve performance
• Add new features
• Maintain compatibility with WordPress

Keeping plugins updated helps ensure your website continues working correctly with the latest WordPress version and hosting environments.

What Happens If Plugins Are Outdated?

Running outdated plugins can lead to:

• Security vulnerabilities
• Website errors
• Broken features
• Compatibility problems
• Poor performance

Because plugins often interact with important parts of your website, outdated plugins can sometimes cause unexpected problems after other website components are updated.

Should I Update Every Plugin Immediately?

Usually, keeping plugins updated is recommended, but updates should be handled carefully.

Before updating important plugins:

✅ Create a backup
✅ Check the plugin update details
✅ Confirm compatibility with your WordPress version

Use extra caution with:

⚠️ Ecommerce plugins
⚠️ Payment plugins
⚠️ Membership systems
⚠️ Page builders
⚠️ Custom-developed plugins

These may affect important website functionality.

What About Plugins I Do Not Use?

If a plugin is no longer needed, it is usually better to remove it instead of leaving it installed.

Unused plugins:

• Still require maintenance
• Can become outdated
• Add unnecessary files to your website

Only keep plugins that you actively need.

How To Update WordPress Plugins

Before updating:

1. Create a backup of your website
2. Review available updates

Then:

1. Log in to your WordPress Dashboard
2. Go to Dashboard → Updates
3. Select available plugin updates
4. Click Update Plugins

You can also update individual plugins from:

Plugins → Installed Plugins

What About Automatic Plugin Updates?

Automatic updates can help keep plugins maintained, especially for trusted plugins that are regularly updated.

However, use caution with plugins that control important website functions.

Recommended:

✅ Security plugins
✅ Small utility plugins
✅ Well-maintained plugins

Review manually:

⚠️ Ecommerce plugins
⚠️ Payment systems
⚠️ Custom plugins
⚠️ Plugins with major version changes

How Pixeljuice Checks Plugin Updates

Pixeljuice checks your installed WordPress plugins and compares them against available plugin updates.

If updates are available, the check identifies plugins that require attention.

This helps ensure your website software remains current and easier to maintain.

Summary

Keeping plugins updated helps maintain a secure, stable WordPress website.

Regular plugin maintenance improves:

✅ Security
✅ Compatibility
✅ Reliability
✅ Website functionality

Update plugins you use, remove plugins you no longer need, and always keep a recent backup before applying major changes.

Theme Updates

What Are WordPress Theme Updates?

A WordPress theme controls the appearance and layout of your website.

Themes contain files that manage things like:

• Page layouts
• Website design
• Templates
• Styling (CSS)
• Theme functionality
• Compatibility with WordPress features

Theme updates are released by developers to improve and maintain these files.

Why Are Theme Updates Important?

Theme updates help keep your website:

• Secure
• Compatible with new WordPress versions
• Free from known bugs
• Compatible with modern browsers and devices

Although themes are responsible for the visual appearance of your website, they also contain code that runs on your WordPress installation.

What Happens If a Theme Is Outdated?

An outdated theme may cause:

• Security risks from known vulnerabilities
• Layout problems
• Compatibility issues with WordPress updates
• Broken website features
• Display problems on newer browsers or devices

Over time, an outdated theme may stop working correctly with newer versions of WordPress.

Do I Need To Update Every Theme?

Not always.

You should review each theme update before applying it.

Update:

✅ Your active theme
✅ Themes you still use
✅ Official themes that you keep for troubleshooting

Consider removing:

❌ Themes you no longer need
❌ Old test themes
❌ Abandoned themes

What About Custom Themes?

Be careful with custom-built themes.

If your website uses a theme that has been modified by a developer, updating it directly may overwrite custom changes.

Before updating a customised theme:

• Confirm whether a child theme is being used
• Check what changes were made
• Create a backup

How To Update WordPress Themes

Before updating:

1. Create a website backup
2. Check the theme update details
3. Confirm compatibility with your WordPress version

Then:

1. Go to WordPress Dashboard → Updates
2. Select available theme updates
3. Click Update Themes

Alternatively:

1. Go to Appearance → Themes
2. Select the theme
3. Apply the available update

How Pixeljuice Checks Theme Updates

Pixeljuice checks your installed WordPress themes and compares them against available theme updates.

If updates are available, the check reports that themes require attention.

This helps identify themes that may need updating to maintain website health.

Summary

Keeping WordPress themes updated helps maintain a stable and secure website.

Regular theme maintenance helps improve:

✅ Security
✅ Compatibility
✅ Reliability
✅ Website performance

Keep themes you use updated, and remove themes that are no longer required.

Inactive Plugins

What Are Inactive Plugins?

An inactive plugin is a WordPress plugin that has been installed on your website but is currently switched off.

Plugins add extra features and functionality to WordPress, such as:

• Contact forms
• SEO tools
• Security features
• Backups
• Ecommerce functionality
• Performance improvements

Only activated plugins run on your website, but inactive plugins still remain stored on your server.

Why Should Inactive Plugins Be Reviewed?

Inactive plugins are often forgotten after testing a feature, changing providers, or removing functionality.

Although inactive plugins are not running, they still:

• Remain part of your website files
• Need updates if they are kept
• Can become outdated over time
• Take up storage space

Keeping unnecessary plugins installed creates extra maintenance work.

What Happens If You Keep Old Plugins?

Unused plugins can cause problems because outdated code may remain on your website.

Possible issues include:

• Known security vulnerabilities
• Increased website maintenance
• Confusion when managing WordPress
• Unnecessary files on your server

A plugin does not need to be active to become outdated.

Should I Delete All Inactive Plugins?

Not necessarily.

You should keep a plugin if:

✅ You plan to use it again
✅ It is needed for testing or development
✅ It is temporarily disabled while troubleshooting
✅ It contains important saved settings you may need

However, plugins that are no longer required should generally be removed.

How To Remove Inactive Plugins

Before deleting a plugin:

1. Confirm it is no longer needed
2. Check whether it stores important settings or data
3. Create a backup if you are unsure

Then:

1. Go to WordPress Dashboard → Plugins
2. Find the inactive plugin
3. Click Delete

What About Disabled Plugins Used For Troubleshooting?

Sometimes a plugin is intentionally disabled while investigating a problem.

For example:

• Testing website speed
• Finding plugin conflicts
• Troubleshooting errors

In these cases, keep the plugin temporarily and remove it once testing is complete.

How Pixeljuice Checks Inactive Plugins

Pixeljuice checks your installed WordPress plugins and compares them against your active plugins.

Plugins that are installed but not currently running are reported as inactive.

This helps identify plugins that may no longer be needed and should be reviewed.

Summary

Inactive plugins are not automatically harmful, but unused plugins increase the amount of software that needs to be maintained.

Regularly reviewing your plugins helps keep your WordPress website:

✅ Cleaner
✅ Easier to manage
✅ More secure

Keep plugins you need, update the ones you use, and remove plugins that are no longer required.

Inactive Themes

What Are Inactive Themes?

An inactive theme is a WordPress theme that is installed on your website but is not currently being used.

WordPress allows multiple themes to be installed at the same time, but only one theme can be active and displayed to visitors.

Inactive themes usually remain on the website because they were:

• Previously used
• Installed for testing
• Added by a developer
• Included by a hosting provider
• Left behind after changing designs

Why Should Inactive Themes Be Removed?

Inactive themes do not affect the appearance of your website because WordPress is only using the active theme.

However, keeping unused themes installed can create unnecessary maintenance issues.

Inactive themes:

• Still contain files on your server
• May require updates
• Can become outdated
• Increase the amount of software that needs monitoring

If an inactive theme contains a security vulnerability and is never updated, it can become an unnecessary risk.

What Happens If You Keep Old Themes?

Keeping unused themes can lead to:

• More files for attackers to target
• Outdated code remaining on your server
• Confusion when managing your website
• More work during WordPress maintenance

A clean WordPress installation should only contain themes that are needed.

Should I Delete All Inactive Themes?

Not always.

You should keep:

✅ Your active theme
✅ A backup/default WordPress theme (recommended)
✅ Any theme you plan to use again soon

For example, keeping the latest default WordPress theme can be useful if you need to troubleshoot a theme problem.

How To Remove Inactive Themes

Before deleting a theme:

1. Confirm it is not your active theme
2. Check whether you need any custom changes from it
3. Create a backup if unsure

Then:

1. Go to Appearance → Themes
2. Select the inactive theme
3. Click Delete

What About Child Themes?

Be careful with child themes.

A child theme may appear inactive but could be needed for:

• Custom website changes
• Developer modifications
• Special functionality

Do not remove a child theme unless you are certain it is no longer required.

How Pixeljuice Checks Inactive Themes

Pixeljuice checks your installed WordPress themes and compares them against the currently active theme.

Themes that are installed but not being used are reported as inactive.

This helps identify themes that may no longer be needed and should be reviewed.

Summary

Inactive themes are not usually an immediate problem, but keeping unused themes installed increases maintenance requirements.

Removing themes you no longer need helps keep your WordPress installation:

✅ Cleaner
✅ Easier to maintain
✅ Less exposed to unnecessary risks

Keep your active theme and any themes you intentionally need, and remove the rest.

WordPress Automatic Updates

What Are WordPress Automatic Updates?

Automatic updates allow WordPress to install certain updates without requiring manual action from the website owner.

Instead of logging into WordPress and clicking update buttons, WordPress can automatically apply approved updates in the background.

Automatic updates can apply to:

• WordPress core updates
• Plugins
• Themes

The goal is to help websites stay maintained even when updates are not manually checked regularly.

Why Are Automatic Updates Important?

Many website owners forget to check for updates regularly.

Automatic updates help reduce the time a website spends running outdated software.

Benefits include:

• Faster installation of security fixes
• Reduced risk from known vulnerabilities
• Less manual maintenance
• Better compatibility with newer WordPress versions

For websites that are not actively managed every day, automatic updates can provide an important layer of protection.

What Happens If Automatic Updates Are Disabled?

A website with automatic updates disabled is not automatically unsafe.

However, it means updates depend entirely on someone manually checking and applying them.

This can lead to:

• Security updates being delayed
• Important fixes being missed
• Plugins becoming outdated
• Compatibility problems developing over time

The longer software remains outdated, the more likely issues can occur.

Are Automatic Updates Always Recommended?

Automatic updates are useful, but they should be used carefully.

Some websites may need more control over updates, especially:

• Large business websites
• Online stores
• Websites with custom code
• Websites with many interconnected plugins

A major update can sometimes affect compatibility between different parts of a website.

Recommended Automatic Update Settings

WordPress Core Updates

Generally recommended:

✅ Enable automatic security and maintenance updates

These updates usually contain important fixes and are designed to be low risk.

Plugin Updates

Consider enabling automatic updates for:

✅ Trusted and regularly maintained plugins

Use caution with:

⚠️ Complex plugins
⚠️ Payment systems
⚠️ Custom-developed plugins
⚠️ Plugins that control important website functions

Theme Updates

Automatic theme updates can be useful, but be careful if:

• The theme has been heavily customised
• Changes were made directly to theme files

A child theme is recommended for customised themes.

How To Enable Automatic Updates

In WordPress:

1. Go to Dashboard → Plugins
2. Find the plugin you want to manage
3. Click Enable auto-updates

For themes:

1. Go to Appearance → Themes
2. Select the theme
3. Enable automatic updates if available

For WordPress core updates, settings are usually managed automatically by WordPress or your hosting provider.

Before Enabling Automatic Updates

Always make sure you have:

✅ Regular backups
✅ A reliable hosting environment
✅ Updated plugins and themes
✅ A way to restore your website if needed

A backup allows you to recover quickly if an update causes an unexpected issue.

How Pixeljuice Checks Automatic Updates

Pixeljuice checks whether WordPress automatic updates are enabled.

The check helps identify whether your website is configured to automatically receive important maintenance and security updates.

Summary

Automatic updates help keep WordPress websites maintained by applying updates without requiring manual checks.

They can improve security and reduce maintenance work, but they should be combined with:

• Regular backups
• Trusted plugins and themes
• Occasional website reviews

A well-maintained website balances automation with proper monitoring.

WordPress Updates

What Are WordPress Updates?

WordPress updates are improvements released for the WordPress system, plugins, and themes that power your website.

Updates can include:

• Security fixes
• Bug fixes
• Performance improvements
• New features
• Compatibility improvements

Keeping your website updated helps ensure that it remains stable, secure, and compatible with modern web technologies.

Why Are WordPress Updates Important?

A WordPress website is made up of several parts:

• WordPress core (the main system)
• Plugins (additional functionality)
• Themes (website design and layout)

Each part receives updates over time.

Running outdated software can create problems because older versions may contain:

• Known security vulnerabilities
• Compatibility issues
• Bugs that have already been fixed
• Problems working with newer versions of PHP or browsers

What Happens If WordPress Is Outdated?

An outdated website may experience:

• Increased security risks
• Broken features
• Plugin or theme conflicts
• Poor compatibility with hosting environments
• Unexpected errors after other components update

Keeping everything updated reduces the chance of these problems occurring.

What Should Be Updated?

WordPress Core

The WordPress system itself should be kept on a current version.

Core updates often include important:

• Security improvements
• Performance changes
• Stability fixes

Plugins

Plugins add features to your website.

Outdated plugins can cause:

• Security issues
• Broken functionality
• Conflicts with WordPress updates

Remove plugins that are no longer needed rather than leaving unused plugins installed.

Themes

Themes control the appearance of your website.

Theme updates can include:

• Security fixes
• Browser compatibility improvements
• WordPress compatibility updates

How To Fix WordPress Update Issues

1. Create a backup first

Before applying major updates:

• Backup your website files
• Backup your database

This allows you to restore the website if something goes wrong.

2. Update WordPress

From your WordPress dashboard:

1. Go to Dashboard → Updates
2. Review available updates
3. Update WordPress core if available

3. Update Plugins and Themes

From the same Updates screen:

• Update outdated plugins
• Update outdated themes
• Remove unused plugins and themes

4. Enable Automatic Updates Where Appropriate

Automatic updates can help keep websites maintained.

Recommended:

✅ WordPress security and maintenance updates
✅ Trusted plugins
✅ Trusted themes

Use caution with:

⚠️ Large plugins that control important website functionality
⚠️ Custom-developed plugins
⚠️ Major theme updates

How Pixeljuice Checks WordPress Updates

Pixeljuice checks whether your website components are current.

The check reviews:

• WordPress version status
• Available core updates
• Plugin updates
• Theme updates
• Automatic update settings

Summary

Keeping WordPress updated helps maintain a healthy website.

Regular updates improve:

✅ Security
✅ Stability
✅ Compatibility
✅ Performance

A website that is regularly updated is easier to maintain and less likely to experience unexpected problems.

Content Freshness

What Is Content Freshness?

Content freshness refers to how recently a website has published or updated its pages and articles.

Search engines look at many signals when evaluating a website, and regularly maintained content can indicate that a website is active, accurate, and providing current information.

This does not mean every page needs to be changed constantly. Some content remains useful for many years.

Why Does Fresh Content Matter?

Regularly publishing or updating content can help show that your website is:

• Actively maintained
• Providing current information
• Keeping important details accurate
• Continuing to provide value to visitors

For businesses, outdated content can create a poor user experience if visitors find information that is no longer correct.

Examples of information that can become outdated:

• Prices
• Contact details
• Services offered
• Business hours
• Laws or regulations
• Product information
• Industry advice

Is Old Content Always Bad?

No.

Some content naturally stays useful for a long time.

Examples:

✅ Company history pages
✅ Educational articles
✅ Guides that remain accurate
✅ Reference material

However, websites that have not published or updated anything for a long period may appear neglected.

The goal is not to constantly change content — it is to make sure important information stays accurate and your website remains active.

What Happens If Content Becomes Outdated?

Old or neglected content can lead to:

• Visitors seeing incorrect information
• Lower trust in your website
• Outdated business details appearing in search results
• Missed opportunities to improve existing pages
• Search engines having fewer signals that the website is actively maintained

How Does This Check Work?

Pixeljuice checks the publication date of your most recently published page or post.

The check looks for signs that your website is being maintained:

• Recent content: Website appears actively maintained
• Older content: Consider reviewing and updating pages
• Very old content: Review whether important information needs refreshing

How To Improve Content Freshness

1. Review important pages regularly

Check pages such as:

• Services
• Products
• About page
• Contact information
• Pricing pages

Make sure the information is still correct.

2. Update existing content

You do not always need to create new articles.

Updating existing pages can include:

• Adding new information
• Removing outdated sections
• Updating images
• Correcting facts
• Improving readability

3. Publish useful new content

Adding helpful content over time can show that your website is active.

Examples:

• Blog articles
• Guides
• Industry updates
• FAQs
• Case studies

Summary

Content freshness helps show that your website is active and that visitors can trust the information they find.

Older content is not automatically a problem, but websites that have not been updated for a long time should review important pages to ensure information remains accurate.

Regular reviews and occasional updates help maintain a healthy website.

Noindex Directive

What is a Noindex Directive?

A noindex directive is a setting that tells search engines not to include a webpage in their search results.

It is a message sent to search engines like Google:

“You can access this page, but do not add it to your search index.”

When a page is marked as noindex, it can still be visited by users who have the link, but it should not appear in normal search results.

Why Is Noindex Important?

The noindex setting is useful when you want to keep certain pages away from search engines.

Examples of pages that may correctly use noindex:

• Private or member-only pages
• Login pages
• Admin pages
• Thank-you pages after a form submission
• Test pages
• Duplicate or temporary content
• Internal search result pages

Using noindex correctly helps search engines focus on your important content.

What Happens If Noindex Is Used Incorrectly?

A noindex directive can become a problem when it is accidentally added to pages that should appear in search results.

Common issues include:

• Homepage removed from Google search results
• Important service pages not appearing
• Blog articles not being indexed
• Reduced organic traffic
• Search engines ignoring valuable content

A single incorrect noindex setting can prevent an entire page from being discovered.

How Does Noindex Work?

A noindex instruction is usually added in one of two ways:

1. Meta Robots Tag

A page may contain code like:

<meta name="robots" content="noindex">

his tells search engines not to index the page.

2. HTTP Header

A website server can also send:

X-Robots-Tag: noindex

This works in the same way but is controlled at the server level.

How To Fix Noindex Issues

1. Check the page settings

Review the page that should appear in search results.

Make sure it is not set to:

• Discourage search engines
• Noindex
• Hidden from search engines

2. Check WordPress Visibility Settings

In WordPress:

1. Edit the affected page or post
2. Check SEO or indexing settings
3. Ensure the page is allowed to be indexed

3. Check Your SEO Settings

If you use an SEO management system, check that important pages are not marked as:

• Noindex
• Hidden
• Excluded from search engines

4. Check Website Code

If noindex is not visible in WordPress settings, the directive may be added by:

• A theme
• A plugin
• Server configuration
• Custom code

The source adding the noindex directive should be identified and removed if it is not intentional.

When Should You Use Noindex?

Noindex is not always a problem.

It is useful for pages that do not provide value in search results.

Good examples:

✅ Login pages
✅ Private pages
✅ Duplicate pages
✅ Temporary pages
✅ Internal search pages

Avoid using noindex on:

❌ Homepage
❌ Service pages
❌ Important landing pages
❌ Blog articles you want people to find

Summary

A noindex directive controls whether search engines can include a page in their results.

When used correctly, it helps keep low-value or private pages out of search engines.

When used incorrectly, it can hide important pages and negatively affect your visibility in search results.

Always check that important website pages are allowed to be indexed.