B-Cart: noindex Design for Members-Only URLs

B-Cart product URLs sometimes appear in Google search results. Opening one shows a login screen, but the product name is displayed. Shop owners often ask whether customer-specific prices are showing too.

If the URL redirects to a login screen, prices aren't leaking. Indexing of the URL and product name, though, is a separate matter. They can get registered through links or previously public information. noindex is the directive that keeps a page out of search results. So in addition to login protection, check the noindex setting.

This article covers how to remove members-only pages from the index, redirects to login, and how to decide which public pages to keep.

Conclusion: Members-only pages get login protection + noindex. Public pages are kept explicitly

Key idea: Decide only what to hide and the entry point from search disappears. The product range overview, for example, is what you want new customers to see. Decide the pages to show as well, and keep them indexable.

Why login-required pages show up in search

For example, information on products that used to be public can remain in the index. Find out which route in the table applies, and check the noindex directive. noindex is the directive for removing a page from the index.

Where to set noindex

Check B-Cart's specifications for where noindex can be set. If it can, apply it to members-only page types such as products, categories, and my page. If it can't, work through the following in order.

1. Exclude members-only URLs from the sitemap (check what's auto-generated)

2. Disallow the members-only paths in robots.txt. Note that already-indexed URLs won't disappear

3. For URLs already indexed, request removal with the Search Console removal tool

4. Ask support how to set noindex

robots.txt is the file that controls bot crawling. Disallow means "don't fetch", which is different from "don't index". With external links, the URL alone can remain in the index. Confirm the noindex method with support.

Check the redirect to the login screen too

Open a product URL while logged out. If it redirects to the login screen, add noindex to the redirect target as well. This prevents search results filling up with "Login | [Company] Ordering Site".

If the setting shows only the product name, that view is indexed as a public page. Open a product URL logged out, and if the display isn't what you intended, change it to login-required or noindex.

Keep the pages new customers should see

Hide members-only information, keep the entry point for new customers. The company profile and product range overview fall here. Check the following pages.

• Company profile (business description, address, product categories handled)

• Product range overview (items and standards, no prices)

• Trade terms (minimum lot, lead time, outline of payment terms)

• New customer onboarding flow and contact form

• Sourcing guides by industry

Leave these without noindex and list them in the sitemap. Also provide links from the top page and the login screen. A "New customers start here" link lets new customers reach the public pages. Check the guidance from the login screen as well.

How to confirm the settings hold

Check that product URLs aren't lingering in search. Once a month, run a site: search and URL Inspection on the public pages.

Keep watching the boundary after setup

When products are added, check noindex and exclusion from the sitemap. B-Cart settings can also change what's displayed when logged out. Check that pages meant for new customers haven't become members-only.

Search OS keeps checking the state of B2B ordering sites, B-Cart included. In scope are indexed URLs, noindex, robots, and sitemap settings, and the index status of public pages. It also watches which pages bots actually fetch. Leaks of members-only information and disappearing public pages are detected and put into an operation that holds the boundary you decided.

Frequently asked questions

If members-only URLs are indexed but prices aren't visible, is that a problem?

Even if prices aren't leaking, the product names and what you carry are visible. Whether that can be public depends on the shop's policy. If it's visible unintentionally, redraw the public scope.

What about noindexing every page and building a separate public site?

If public pages are hard to build on B-Cart, that setup is an option. Build a public site on another CMS and link to the ordering site. In that case, the ordering site can be noindex on every page.

Why does a URL come back after I remove it with the removal tool?

The removal tool hides a URL temporarily. Without noindex, it gets indexed again once the period expires. Set noindex first, then use the removal tool.

Related reading

• How to Get B-Cart B2B Public Pages into Search

• Winning New Customers from AI Search on B-Cart: How to Build Industry-Specific Buying Guide Pages

• How to Design the Index Boundary for ebisumart B2C and B2B Sites

• B-Cart Not in Search: Six Checks

References

• Google Search Central: Block Search indexing with noindex

• Google Search Central: Robots.txt introduction

• Google Search Central: Remove a page hosted on your site from Google