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Best way to include html with php and have Google not index the html

Hello. So, I have this menu I'd like to keep as a separate html file and include with php.

I was wondering though, if I keep the menu.html file in the same folder as the actual pages and include it with:

<?php include 'menu.html';?>

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what's the best, lightest way to make Google and other SE not index menu.html?

Would it be better to have a menu.php instead?

I know php works server side, so the page will look just the same to SEs as it would with the full menu code as part of the page.

Like this:

<?php include 'menu.php';?>

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But I was wondering how to keep SEs from seeing the menu's code as a separate page.

ASKER CERTIFIED SOLUTION

Tom Beck

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Daniele Brunengo

ASKER

If I use menu.php instead of menu.html will this work better or is it just the same as far as Search Engines are concerned?

Tom Beck

It's all the same to a Search Engine.

Daniele Brunengo

ASKER

Ok, thanks. I knew about robots.txt, I was hoping there was a more efficient alternative but I guess there isn't.

Tom Beck

The sure fire way is to move the menu.html to a password protected directory and modify the .htaccess file (assuming Apache Web Server).

You can also include a noindex meta tag in menu.html (though not fool proof).

<meta name="robots" content="noindex">

Dave Baldwin

If 'menu.html' is not linked by itself anywhere on your site, it will be invisible to search engines. Including it in a PHP file does not expose the file name to the outside world.

Daniele Brunengo

ASKER

Very interesting info Dave Baldwin, thanks.