What to change
More than one system may generate indexing instructions, including the editing system template, SEO settings and hosting configuration. Ask the supplier to identify every instruction in a representative affected response rather than changing the first one they find. Compare with a working template to isolate the difference. The repair should apply to the whole affected page family without weakening intentional restrictions elsewhere.
A worked example
Illustrative example
Illustrative test: Publish a harmless sample using each template and compare the resulting instructions. Suppose all new resource guides disappear from search eligibility after a design update, while service pages remain unaffected. The supplier compares one of each and finds an extra restrictive instruction in the resource design. Ask for a second existing guide and a newly generated guide to be checked after correction. Those examples establish whether the family-wide cause is resolved instead of simply making the first reported page work.
What this means for your practice
If one type of guide is affected while others work, the shared page design may be adding an unwanted search restriction. Your supplier may refer to that design as a template. Ask them to compare an affected article with a working one and explain every instruction sent to search engines. A reassuring setting in one place may coexist with a restriction somewhere else. The practice's decision is which material should be public; the supplier's job is to make all relevant settings agree. Review more than one article after the change and include the next newly published guide. That helps establish that the underlying pattern was repaired, rather than a single page manually patched.
How to check the result
Each public template consistently emits the approved indexing policy without contradictory restrictions.
A mistake to avoid
A permissive instruction does not cancel every restrictive instruction elsewhere.
Turn reading into a next step
Your action checklist
Work through these checks with your team or supplier. Tick the ones you have resolved and leave unknowns open.
Record what you know, what is still missing and the answer you need from your team or supplier.
Use project decisions only, without personal, patient or confidential details. Entries stay in this page and are not submitted to Kay & Co. Copy or download before leaving; this page does not save your notes.
Further reading
These sources provide background for the topic. The practice examples and checklist are illustrative planning suggestions from Kay & Co.
Related guides
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