Why Disable Tag Archives?
I’m not using tag archives on my website. However, a website scan with ahrefs listed lots of problems including hundreds of orphan pages, pages with empty meta descriptions, and pages with no h1 tags.
Even though I wasn’t linking to any tag pages they were still being included in my sitemap by Yoast SEO.
Yoast is a super popular WordPress plugin for search engine optimization. If you’re not using tag archives you likely have the same issue!
Fortunately, it’s really easy to disable them. If you’re using a different Yoast version, the steps may differ slightly.
How to Disable Tag Archives With Yoast
- Log in to backend of your website.
- Go to Yoast – Settings
- Click on Tags in the left menu
- Toggle “Search Appearance” off
- Click “Save Changes”
- You’re done! Tags are now disabled.
You’re Done! Tags Are Disabled
View your sitemap. Your tag pages are no longer there.
See more WordPress SEO tips.