When we first launched our blog, we faced significant challenges with WordPress archive pages. These automatically generated pages caused duplicate content issues that negatively impacted our SEO rankings, and it required extensive trial and error to manage them effectively.
The good news is that you don’t need to be a tech expert to address this common issue. We’ve assisted thousands of users in finding the right solutions, and now we’ll guide you through the same methods we’ve successfully implemented.
Whether you’re a beginner or have some coding experience, you’ll discover an easy way to handle your archive pages without harming your SEO.
Essential Information About Removing Archive Pages
Have you ever noticed pages on your WordPress site that display older blog posts organized by month, category, or tag? These are known as archive pages.
Archive pages automatically categorize your WordPress posts, which can enhance navigation for your visitors.
However, there are situations where you might want to remove archive pages.
For instance, these pages can lead to what SEO professionals refer to as ‘thin’ or ‘duplicate’ content. Since archive pages typically only display brief excerpts of your full blog posts, they can result in numerous pages with very similar, low-quality content.
Search engines favor indexing your original, comprehensive posts. Having too many similar archive pages can weaken your site’s SEO performance.
Each type of archive page has a unique URL that may showcase similar content based on specific filters, potentially leading to multiple overlapping URLs.
If you have a rarely used category or one that no longer makes sense, removing the category archive page can help streamline your website.
Before removing these pages, it’s important to consider that some users may rely on them to find and bookmark older blog posts. Deleting them could make it difficult for these users to locate those posts again.
From an SEO perspective, improperly deleting archive pages can result in broken links, which can frustrate visitors and negatively impact your website’s ranking in search results.
While WordPress does not allow direct deletion of archive pages, there are alternative methods to manage them effectively.
In this step-by-step guide, we will show you how to remove archive pages without compromising your WordPress SEO. You can use these quick links to jump to your preferred method:
- Noindex Archive Pages Using AIOSEO (Recommended)
- Method 2: Use Code to Noindex Specific Author or Date Archives
- Redirect Archive Pages to Prevent Broken Links
- Remove Archive Pages Using a Plugin (Ideal for Non-Blog Sites)
- Alternative Approach: Create Custom Archive Pages
- Common Questions About Removing Archive Pages
- Further Reading and Resources
Let’s explore these methods to enhance your website’s functionality.
Method 1: Noindex Archive Pages Using AIOSEO (Highly Recommended)
The first method is highly recommended by us and many SEO professionals. Instead of completely removing archive pages, it’s more effective to set them as noindex for search engines. This allows users to access these pages on your site while keeping them out of search engine results.
John Mueller from Google addressed this topic during a Q&A session. Here’s his insight:
You can either remove the content of older items or relocate them to an archive section. Making those old pages noindex allows visitors to access them while preventing search engines from indexing them.
John Mueller, Search Advocate at Google
The simplest way to noindex archive pages is by using a WordPress plugin like All in One SEO (AIOSEO). This approach requires no coding skills, making it accessible for beginners.
Additionally, you will gain access to numerous other SEO tools, including an on-page content optimizer, an SEO audit checklist, schema markup support, and more.
To begin, install the AIOSEO plugin. Both the premium and free versions provide the necessary features to noindex archive pages.
For further details, refer to our guide on installing a WordPress plugin and properly configuring AIOSEO.
Option 1: Noindex Multiple Archive Pages
To proceed with this option, navigate to All in One SEO » Search Appearance. Next, click on the ‘Taxonomies’ tab.
In the ‘Categories’ section, select ‘No’ for the ‘Show in Search Results’ setting.
You will receive a notification stating: “Your Categories will be noindexed and excluded from the sitemap, allowing search engines to ignore them. You can still manage the appearance of their page title below.”
If you switch to the ‘Advanced’ tab, you will notice that the default settings have been deactivated.
The ‘No Index’ checkbox should also be checked in the ‘Robots Meta’ Settings.
You can then scroll down to noindex your archive tag pages and any other custom taxonomies you may have.
Once you have completed these steps, click ‘Save Changes’ in the top left corner.
To prevent search engines from indexing date and author archive pages, navigate to the ‘Archives’ tab.
You will find options to disable indexing for both author and date archive pages.
As before, simply select ‘No’ in the ‘Show Search Results’ setting and repeat this step for the date archive page listed below.
Once you’ve completed that, click the ‘Save Changes’ button at the top.
Option 2: Disable Indexing for Specific Archive Pages (Taxonomies Only)
This option allows you to disable indexing for specific archive pages only. For instance, if you have one outdated category page that you want to exclude from search engine results, while keeping the rest of your category pages indexed.
To do this, open the category, tag, or custom taxonomy page on the front end of your website. Then, click ‘Edit Category’ in the top admin bar, as shown in the screenshot below.
This will bring up the category or tag editor. Scroll down to the ‘AIOSEO Settings’ section and switch to the ‘Advanced’ tab.
In the ‘Robots Settings,’ uncheck the ‘Use Default Settings’ option and check the ‘No Index’ box.
Finally, click ‘Update’ to save your changes.
Currently, AIOSEO does not support the option to noindex specific non-taxonomy archive pages. However, you can easily achieve this by following the method outlined below.
Method 2: Noindex Specific Author or Date Archives Using Code
This approach is ideal if you want to noindex a particular author’s archive page or a date-specific archive (such as for a single month), which AIOSEO does not allow you to target individually. To implement this, you will need to add a custom code snippet to your website.
If this process seems daunting, don’t worry. The safest way to add code to WordPress is by using WPCode, the leading code snippet plugin available.
This plugin simplifies the process of inserting custom code without directly modifying your theme files, minimizing the risk of breaking your website. Additionally, your custom code will remain intact even after theme updates, ensuring your noindex code stays effective.
First, let’s install and activate WPCode. Both the free and premium versions are suitable for this tutorial, although the premium version offers a unique mode to safely test your code before it goes live.
For further details, you can refer to our guide on how to install a WordPress plugin.
Next, navigate to Code Snippets » + Add SnippetNext, select ‘Add Your Custom Code (New Snippet)’ and click on ‘Use snippet.’
Now, give your new snippet a name, such as ‘Noindex Archive Pages.’
Ensure that the Code Type is set to ‘HTML Snippet.’
In the ‘Code Preview’ box, copy and paste the following code:
This code is a robots meta tag that instructs search engines not to index a specific web page.
Once completed, scroll down to the ‘Insertion’ section.
Here, ensure that the ‘Insert Method’ is set to ‘Auto Insert’ and the ‘Location’ is ‘Site Wide Header.’
Now, let’s move down to the ‘Smart Conditional Logic’ section.
Activate the ‘Enable Logic’ setting.
For the ‘Conditions,’ select ‘Show’ and choose ‘Page URL’ and ‘Is.’ Then, enter the URL of the specific archive page you want to noindex in the last field.
You can click ‘AND’ to add more pages to the noindex list.
Once you’re finished, make the code ‘Active’ and click ‘Save Snippet.’
That’s all! To check if your page has been successfully set to noindex, open the archive page and inspect its page source.
If you’re using Chrome, right-click anywhere on the page and select ‘View Page Source.’
Next, press ‘Control/Command + F’ on your keyboard to open a search bar, and type ‘noindex.’ This will highlight the noindex tag you added earlier.
If you find it between theand</head>tags, then you’ve added the code correctly.
Method 3: Redirect Archive Pages to Prevent Broken Links
Suppose you’ve decided that removing specific archive pages from your WordPress blog is the best option. However, you’re concerned about broken links or frustrated visitors who might still attempt to access them.
This situation can occur if someone has bookmarked an older archive page on your site.
To address this, you can redirect the archive pages using a redirect plugin. This way, visitors who click on those old links will not encounter an error message.
Note:This method will utilize AIOSEO Pro, which includes a feature that allows you to easily redirect one page to another on your website.
Begin by installing and activating the All in One SEO (AIOSEO) plugin on your WordPress site. For detailed instructions, refer to our guide on installing a WordPress plugin.
Next, navigate toAll in One SEO » Redirects.
In the ‘Redirects’ section, enter the ‘Source URL’ (the archive page you want to remove) and the ‘Target URL’ (the page where you want to redirect your visitors).
We suggest selecting a page that matches what users might be searching for when they visit the old archive page.
For example, if you run a software review site and need to redirect a category archive for a discontinued product, a suitable target URL could be a recent article explaining why the software is no longer available.
This ensures that visitors receive valuable information even though the original archive page is no longer active.
Alternatively, you can choose to redirect users to your homepage.
Next, select a ‘Redirect Type.’ Opt for ‘301 Moved Permanently’ if you want the target page to serve as the new permanent destination for users who previously accessed the archive page.
After completing the setup, simply click ‘Add Redirect.’
Finally, visit your old archive page. If you are redirected to the target page URL, the redirection has been set up successfully.
For additional details, refer to our comprehensive beginner’s guide on setting up 301 redirects in WordPress.
Method 4: Eliminate Archive Pages Using a Plugin (Ideal for Non-Blog Websites)
If your WordPress site doesn’t feature a blog and archive pages are unnecessary, this method is perfect for you.
You will need to install the Smart Archive Page Remove plugin, which simplifies the process of deleting archive pages from your WordPress site.
Important Note: Please be aware that this plugin has not been tested with the latest three major WordPress updates and could have compatibility issues. While we have successfully tested it in our environment, your experience may differ. For further information, please review our guide on safely using outdated WordPress plugins.
Begin by installing and activating the WordPress plugin in your admin dashboard. If you require assistance, check out our guide on how to install a WordPress plugin.
After activation, navigate to Settings » Archive Pages.
Next, select the archive pages you wish to remove and toggle the buttons accordingly. Once finished, simply click ‘Save Changes.’
After applying your changes, the previous archive pages will display a ‘404 Page Not Found’ error. This is not ideal for user experience or search engine optimization.
To resolve this issue, the crucial final step is to redirect those outdated URLs to your homepage. Just follow the instructions in Method 3 to set up a redirect for each type of archive you disabled (for example, redirecting /date/ and /author/ to your homepage).
This ensures that you avoid broken links that could negatively impact your site.
Alternative: Create Custom Archive Pages
Instead of completely removing archive pages, consider designing custom archive pages. This approach allows you to have greater control over their appearance and functionality, enhancing the user experience for your visitors.
If your archive page is user-friendly and easy to navigate, visitors will find it valuable and spend more time on your site. As a result, you can boost your pageviews and lower your bounce rate, which search engines interpret as a positive indicator of your website’s quality.
The simplest way to create a custom archives page is by using SeedProd. This drag-and-drop page builder offers a variety of templates and design elements to help you create an engaging and helpful archives page.
Here are some tips to enhance your archive pages:
- Add a custom search form to assist users in filtering through your content.
- Highlight your most popular content from the archive to keep visitors engaged.
- For specific custom post types, such as recipes, consider creating and organizing dedicated archive pages to enhance navigation.
- Include links to your archive pages in the sidebar or navigation menu for easy user access.
Frequently Asked Questions About Removing Archive Pages
Here are some common questions we receive regarding the management of archive pages in WordPress.
1. What are archive pages in WordPress?
Archive pages are automatically generated by WordPress to categorize your posts, organizing content by categories, tags, dates (monthly or yearly), and authors.
2. Is removing archive pages detrimental to SEO?
Removing archive pages can negatively impact SEO if not executed properly. Deleting them may lead to broken links (404 errors), which can frustrate users and indicate a poor experience to search engines.
Moreover, some users may find these pages helpful for navigating your site, so completely removing them could decrease user engagement.
3. What is the best way to manage unwanted archive pages?
The most secure and recommended approach is to set the archive pages to ‘noindex’ using a plugin like All in One SEO. This instructs search engines not to display these pages in search results, helping to prevent issues with duplicate content.
Meanwhile, the page will still be accessible to visitors who may find it useful.
4. Is it better to create a custom archive page rather than removing it?
Absolutely, creating a custom archive page is a fantastic option. By using a page builder like SeedProd, you can craft a more user-friendly and visually appealing page that enhances navigation and encourages visitors to explore more of your content.
Additional Resources
We hope this guide has helped you learn how to safely and effectively remove archive pages in WordPress. You may also find these articles useful for improving your site’s SEO and expanding your audience:
- How to Add Keywords and Meta Descriptions in WordPress
- Proven Tips to Boost Your Blog Traffic
If you enjoyed this article, please subscribe to our YouTube Channel for WordPress video tutorials. You can also connect with us on Twitter and Facebook.
