# Oplossing nodig om indexering van onderwerpen uit een categorie te blokkeren

**URL:** https://meta.discourse.org/t/need-to-find-a-solution-to-block-indexing-topics-from-a-category/338813
**Category:** Support
**Created:** [27 november 2024 om 17:09 UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/need-to-find-a-solution-to-block-indexing-topics-from-a-category/338813 "2024-11-27T17:09:56Z")
**Posts on this page:** 3
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

### Author: ![hoangviet](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/meta/user_avatar/meta.discourse.org/hoangviet/32/174417_2.png) [@hoangviet](https://meta.discourse.org/u/hoangviet)
#### Post date: [27 november 2024 om 17:09 UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/need-to-find-a-solution-to-block-indexing-topics-from-a-category/338813/1 "2024-11-27T17:09:56Z")

</div>

it is a fact that search engines, bots can index topics in a category on discourse. How to block Google, bing, yandex, … from indexing topics of a category?

We look forward to Discourse experts’ support.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

### Author: ![Don](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/meta/user_avatar/meta.discourse.org/don/32/228726_2.png) [@Don](https://meta.discourse.org/u/Don)
#### Post date: [27 november 2024 om 17:54 UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/need-to-find-a-solution-to-block-indexing-topics-from-a-category/338813/2 "2024-11-27T17:54:32Z")

</div>

You can change the category permission to TL0 so only logged in users will see it and also will block bots.

> [@Configuring Discourse for a closed or private community](https://meta.discourse.org/t/configuring-discourse-for-a-closed-or-private-community/27014/1):
>
> ## Setting up private categories
> 
> You can also make specific categories private:
> 
> 1. Visit the category page
> 2. Click the edit button in the upper right corner to access category settings
> 3. Go to the “Security” tab
> 4. Adjust the permissions as needed  
> ![Category security tab](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/meta/original/3X/f/0/f0b099f45aa71a1bf5a5f0a58a590ec7e6133a14.png)
> 
> In this example, only users with accounts can access the category. Anonymous users are restricted from viewing it.
> 
> You can further customize category access by making certain categories readable or writable only to specific groups of users. These groups can be either public or private.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

### Author: ![Jagster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/meta/user_avatar/meta.discourse.org/jagster/32/192154_2.png) [@Jagster](https://meta.discourse.org/u/Jagster)
#### Post date: [27 november 2024 om 18:09 UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/need-to-find-a-solution-to-block-indexing-topics-from-a-category/338813/3 "2024-11-27T18:09:05Z")

</div>

If that Don suggested works use it. It is the only 100% sure way. But if that forum must be open for random visitors you can’t use TL0. Sure you can use `User-agent: * Disallow: /` or similar meta, but sometimes those are respected and sometimes not. If somebody shares a link using gmail Google will index no matter you have in robots.txt or meta.

And those tricks are effective only if a bot obeys those. Most of SEO crawlers don’t follow. And then there is a zillion rogue bots and script kiddies trying to do something.

So, what you have to do depends on what kind level of privacy you are looking for.