Indexables: Filters

Introduction

Before dealing with these filters please make sure you have an understanding of what Indexables are and are used for by reading the functional specification and maybe even the technical specification.

Disabling Indexables completely

By default, as per the technical specifcation, Yoast SEO will continuously create indexables for all the content that can be optimized on a site. This includes posts, pages, custom post types, and archives for taxonomies (categories, tags, and custom types), users, and so on.

In some cases, users may wish to disable the creation of indexables. When the Yoast\WP\SEO\should_index_indexables filter is set to false, the plugin will stop storing newly created indexables.

note

We already disable indexables by default on sites where the core function wp_get_environment_type() does not return production.

Code example

add_filter( 'Yoast\WP\SEO\should_index_indexables', '__return_false' );

Excluding content

In the technical specification for Indexables we outline when we create Indexables for both post types and taxonomies. If, for some reason, you're registering either a post type or a taxonomy as public, and, in the case of post types, they get a publish post status, yet you do not use those URLs on the frontend of your site, you should exclude them from Indexables creation.

Warning

If you need these filters, you are probably "doing it wrong".

If you're registering a post type or taxonomy as public, they are always going to show up in places where they do not belong. Registering these as public should really only happen when you are going to use those URLs on the frontend of your site. Use of these filters is of course at your own risk and does not mean that the content in these objects cannot be seen by search engines.

noindexed post types

We need Indexables if the page is showing up on the front end.

So, even if you've set the post type to noindex, if the URL is going to be shown on the frontend, we need an Indexable for it.

Excluding post types

The wpseo_indexable_excluded_post_types filter takes an array of excluded post types. Make sure not to destroy that array, just add to it. An example:

add_filter( 'wpseo_indexable_excluded_post_types', 'do_not_create_indexables_for_orders' );

/**
 * Exclude orders from Yoast SEO Indexable creation.
 *
 * @link https://developer.yoast.com/features/indexables/indexables-filters/#post_types
 * 
 * @param string[] $excluded_post_types Array of excluded post types by name.
 * 
 * @return string[]
 */
function do_not_create_indexables_for_orders( $excluded_post_types ) {
    $excluded_post_types[] = 'orders';
    return $excluded_post_types;
}

Excluding taxonomies

The wpseo_indexable_excluded_taxonomies filter takes an array of excluded post types. Make sure not to destroy that array, just add to it. An example:

add_filter( 'wpseo_indexable_excluded_taxonomies', 'do_not_create_indexables_for_order_types' );

/**
 * Exclude order types from Yoast SEO Indexable creation.
 *
 * @link https://developer.yoast.com/features/indexables/indexables-filters/#taxonomies
 * 
 * @param string[] $excluded_taxonomies Array of excluded taxonomies by name.
 * 
 * @return string[]
 */
function do_not_create_indexables_for_order_types( $excluded_taxonomies ) {
    $excluded_taxonomies[] = 'order_type';
    return $excluded_taxonomies;
}