Re: Indexing a URL inside Forms2.0 API code

Mike_Sherwood1
Level 2

Indexing a URL inside Forms2.0 API code

We use Marketo forms on our web pages, via the embed code, and we use the same form for all assets.  We are displaying the actual asset as the follow up page, so we use the forms2.0 API and include the URL of the asset as shown in the 2nd example on this page in the developers site, so we end up with a line in the js code like this:

location.href = "URL-of-Asset.pdf".

Therefore the URL is accessible to indexers.

We are trying to figure out if we can prohibit search engines from accessing and indexing that asset.  Apparently google will look for URL's inside javascript.

I'm not too concerned about the user displaying page source to find it, but the google indexer, ah, that's a different story.   

So, does anyone know if we set the meta tags on the page to "index, nofollow", that it will disallow the indexer from reaching that pdf and indexing it? That URL in the javascript is not strictly a link on the page, so I don't know if the nofollow setting will do anything.  I don't care too much if they index the url itself because we can control that, but indexing the asset would allow people to get past our gate.   Might be an unanswerable question, given that it's difficult to test and know for sure, but I thought I would ask.

Thanks,

Mike

Of course, we could switch strategies and send them an email with a link to it.  With program tokens, we can use a single email and follow up page for all assets.  Might be just as easy and the problem goes away.  Open to ideas.

3 REPLIES 3
SanfordWhiteman
Level 10 - Community Moderator

Re: Indexing a URL inside Forms2.0 API code

Mike_Sherwood3
Level 1

Re: Indexing a URL inside Forms2.0 API code

So the suggestion is to use a robots.txt file to limit access to the folder where the assets are located?  (our assets are not hosted in Marketo). 

SanfordWhiteman
Level 10 - Community Moderator

Re: Indexing a URL inside Forms2.0 API code

Yep.