🎯 Choose the right indexing action
For a discontinued product, use noindex when the page should remain available to customers but should not appear in search results. Use a redirect or removal when the product page no longer provides value. Avoid blocking the URL in robots.txt if you want search engines to process the noindex instruction.
⚙️ Set the global Products rule
To apply one indexing rule to WooCommerce products, open your SEO settings in WordPress and locate the section for Products or Product post types. Set products to index or noindex, then save the change. The exact menu name can vary depending on the SEO plugin connected to your WordPress site.
This global setting is best for applying the same rule to all products. Check a product page afterward and confirm that its robots directive matches the setting.
📝 Update selected products in bulk
- In WordPress, open Products.
- Select the discontinued products you want to update.
- Choose Edit from the Bulk actions menu and select Apply.
- Change the available SEO or visibility fields provided by your SEO plugin, then save the updates.
WordPress bulk editing does not always include a robots or noindex field. If that option is unavailable, update the products through your SEO plugin’s individual product settings, or use the plugin’s supported bulk editor. Do not rely on an OTTO SEO or Page Explorer workflow unless those controls are visibly available in your account.
🔍 Check that products are noindex
- Open a product in WordPress and view its SEO settings.
- Confirm the product is set to noindex, if that is your intended rule.
- Open the public product URL and inspect its page source or use a robots-checking tool.
- Look for a robots directive containing noindex.
Allow time for search engines to recrawl the pages. A noindex directive does not remove a URL immediately from search results.
✅ Recommended approach for discontinued items
- Keep the page and set it to noindex if customers may need product information.
- Redirect it to a closely related replacement if one exists.
- Return a proper 404 or 410 response when there is no useful replacement and the page should be removed.
- Remove discontinued URLs from XML sitemaps where your SEO plugin provides that option.
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