In a recent update to its Search Central documentation, Google has officially relegated the ‘noarchive’ rule to a historical reference section.
The new text in Google’s help document reads:
“The noarchive rule is no longer used by Google Search to control whether a cached link is shown in search results, as the cached link feature no longer exists.”
This move follows Google’s earlier decision to remove the cache: search operator, which was reported last week.
Implications For Websites
While Google says websites don’t need to remove the meta tag, it noted that “other search engines and services may be using it.”
The ‘noarchive‘ tag has been a staple of SEO practices for years, allowing websites to prevent search engines from storing cached versions of their pages.
Its relegation to a historical reference highlights the dynamic nature of Google Search.
The Gradual Phasing Out of Cached Pages
This documentation update aligns with Google’s gradual phasing out of the cached page feature.
Last week, Google removed the documentation for the cache: search operator, which had allowed users to view Google’s stored version of a webpage.
At the time, Google’s Search Liaison explained on social media that the cache feature was originally intended to help users access pages when loading was unreliable.