How to Discourage Meta Crawlers from Accessing Your PhotoBiz Website

Overview

Meta, the company behind Facebook, Instagram, and Meta AI, uses automated web crawlers to access publicly available website content. Depending on the crawler, this information may be used for AI model training, content indexing, or other Meta services.

If you're concerned about how Meta may access your website content, including your photographs, you can add an HTML meta tag to your PhotoBiz website to communicate your preference to discourage certain Meta crawler activity.

This guide explains how to add the tag using your PhotoBiz Website Builder's TRACKING settings.

STEP ONE

STEP TWO

Click TRACKING at the top of the Website Builder to access your website tracking settings and sitemap URL.

STEP THREE

Copy the Meta Crawler Preference Tag

Copy the following HTML code:

Copy & Paste Code:

<meta name="meta-externalagent" content="noindex, nofollow">

This tag is intended to communicate your preference to Meta-ExternalAgent, a crawler Meta identifies as being used for purposes that include AI model training and content indexing.

The code includes two instructions:

noindex: Requests that a supporting crawler not include the page in its search index.
nofollow: Requests that a supporting crawler not follow links found on the page.

These instructions are commonly used by search engines, but Meta has not confirmed that Meta-ExternalAgent supports them through this HTML tag.

STEP FOUR

Add the Tag to Your Website

In your TRACKING settings, locate the HEAD code field.

Paste the copied HTML tag into this field.

If you already have Google Analytics, Google Search Console verification, or other custom code in your HEAD section, leave that code in place.

You can add the Meta crawler tag above or below your existing code without removing anything.

FINAL STEP

Save Your Changes

Click SAVE CHANGES to apply the HTML tag to your PhotoBiz website.

Once saved, the tag is included in your website's HEAD code, where automated crawlers that inspect your page's HTML may encounter it.

No additional publishing step is required.

Remember: Adding the tag communicates your preference, but it does not confirm that Meta has recognized or honored your request.

What Your Website Visitors See

Adding this HTML tag does not change the visible appearance or normal functionality of your PhotoBiz website.

Visitors can continue to browse your pages, view photographs, submit forms, contact you, and use your website normally.

The tag does not prevent people from sharing your website on Facebook or Instagram. It also does not remove previously shared content or guarantee that your website will be excluded from Meta AI results.

Helpful Notes

Will this affect my Google search rankings?

The tag specifically names Meta-ExternalAgent rather than Google's standard search crawler.

It is not intended to change how Google indexes your website or displays it in search results.

Will my website still work with Facebook and Instagram?

Yes. Adding this tag does not disconnect your website from Facebook or Instagram or prevent visitors from sharing links to your pages.

Meta uses separate crawlers for different functions, including generating link previews when someone shares a website.

Will deleting my Facebook or Instagram accounts stop Meta from crawling my website?

No. Meta's crawlers can access publicly available websites regardless of whether their owners have Facebook or Instagram accounts.

Deleting your social media accounts does not prevent Meta from discovering or accessing your PhotoBiz website.

NEED HELP?

Our Passionate Support Team Is Here for You.

Have questions about adding AI crawler meta tags to your website? Our Passionate Support Team can help you locate your Tracking settings and add the code to your website.

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