` and `<meta name="description">`. ``` --- ## 5) Per-page head overrides A page's own front matter can extend or override the site-wide head. Add this block to `src/content/pages/head-demo.md`: ```yaml head: meta: - { name: 'description', content: 'Override description for this page' } link: - { rel: 'author', href: 'https://yourdomain.com' } ``` Baseline computes the canonical URL from `page.url` and `settings.url`, stripping the query string and fragment. If `settings.url` is missing, no canonical is emitted (baseline warns at startup). To override the canonical per page, set a top-level `canonical` field in front matter. See the SEO front-matter table in [[site-settings | Site settings]]. Open Graph and Twitter card tags are emitted automatically from `settings.seo` and per-page front matter; you no longer hand-roll them as `head.meta[]` entries. --- ## 6) Noindex (site-wide and per-page) Three knobs, in widening order of scope: {% stepsBlock "compact" %} Site-wide: set `noindex: true` in `_data/settings.js`. Every page gets a `robots` noindex tag, and the sitemap is skipped entirely. Per-page: set `noindex: true` in front matter. The page renders a `robots` noindex tag and drops out of the sitemap. Sitemap-only: set `sitemap: { ignore: true }` in front matter. The page renders normally; only the sitemap entry is removed. {% endstepsBlock %} The relationship is deliberate: `noindex` is the broader signal (don't index, don't list), `sitemap.ignore` is the narrow one (just don't list). --- ## 7) Run and inspect ```bash npm start ``` - Open `/head-demo/` (default http://localhost:8080/head-demo/). - View source. Confirm the placeholder is gone, the canonical (or your override) is in, and the defaults for description and robots are rendered. - Check `dist/sitemap.xml` while dev runs. The page should appear unless `noindex` is true. --- ## 8) Production build Change `URL` in `.env` to an absolute URL. On a deployed site that's your real production URL; for this exercise, any absolute URL (e.g. `https://www.example.com/`) works to verify the output. Then run: ```bash npm run build ``` - Inspect `dist/head-demo/index.html` for the rendered head. - Confirm `dist/sitemap.xml` includes or excludes the page in line with `noindex`. - Reset `URL` in `.env` to "http://localhost:8080/". --- ## Next steps - Add custom `head.link[]`, `head.script[]`, or `head.meta[]` entries through `_data/settings.js` or per-page front matter. - For the full multilingual setup, see the [[multilingual-baseline-site | multilingual site tutorial]] and the [[head

--- title: 'Head and NoIndex' description: 'Set Baseline head defaults, add per-page head extras and block robots.' slug: 'head-and-noindex' type: 'article' date: 2026-04-28T00:00:00.000Z lang: 'en' url: 'https://www.eleventy-baseline.dev/docs/feature-guide/head-and-noindex/' --- Get a clean, correct `` on every page with one placeholder and a settings file. By the end you'll have site-wide metadata, per-page head extras flowing through `settings.head` and front matter, and a proper canonical and robots story. Hreflang is covered in the [[multilingual-baseline-site | multilingual site]] tutorial. The placeholder is the only piece of HTML you write yourself. {% alertBlock %} The placeholder, ``, is the element your layout puts on the page. Baseline swaps it for a sorted, deduplicated `` at transform-time, the stage of the build where Eleventy hands rendered HTML to plugins for last-mile mutation. The data that fills it (title, description, canonical, links, scripts, hreflang) is gathered earlier, at cascade-time, when Eleventy is computing each page's data. Two stages, one placeholder. {% endalertBlock %} --- ## What you will build - A page rendered with proper `title` and `description`. - Canonical and robots tags written automatically. - Site-wide and per-page head extras through `link[]`, `script[]`, `meta[]`. - Noindex controls at both site and page level. - A neatly organised ``, thanks to Capo.js. --- ## Prerequisites - Baseline already installed and loaded, as in the [[simple-baseline-site | simple site tutorial]]. - Set `settings.url` to your production URL (or leave localhost for local testing). - `package.json` with `"type": "module"` and the `dev`/`build` scripts: ```json { "name": "simple-baseline-site", "type": "module", "scripts": { "start": "rimraf dist/ && npx @11ty/eleventy --serve", "build": "rimraf dist/ && cross-env ELEVENTY_ENV=production npx @11ty/eleventy" } } ``` --- ## 1) Ensure Baseline is loaded `eleventy.config.js`: ```js import baseline, { config as baselineConfig } from '@apleasantview/eleventy-plugin-baseline'; import settings from './src/_data/settings.js'; /** @param {import("@11ty/eleventy").UserConfig} eleventyConfig */ export default async function (eleventyConfig) { await eleventyConfig.addPlugin( baseline(settings, { head: { titleSeparator: ' | ', showGenerator: true } }) ); } export const config = baselineConfig; ``` Two head options are worth knowing about: {% stepsBlock "compact" %} `titleSeparator` controls how the page title and site title are joined. Defaults to `–` (en-dash with surrounding spaces). `showGenerator` adds a `` tag. Off by default; flip it on if you want the credit visible in production. {% endstepsBlock %} --- ## 2) Site-wide metadata Update `src/_data/settings.js`. The fields below are the source of truth for what Baseline writes into every page's head: ```js export default { title: 'Baseline Head Demo', tagline: 'Head quickstart', url: process.env.URL || 'http://localhost:8080/', defaultLanguage: 'en', noindex: false, head: { link: [ { rel: 'stylesheet', href: '/assets/css/index.css' }, { rel: 'me', href: 'https://mastodon.social/@yourhandle' } ], script: [{ src: '/assets/js/index.js', defer: true }], meta: [{ name: 'color-scheme', content: 'light dark' }] } }; ``` Each entry in `link[]`, `script[]`, and `meta[]` becomes an element on every page, alongside the defaults Baseline writes itself (charset, viewport, title, description, canonical, robots). --- ## 3) Layout with the placeholder Create `src/_includes/layouts/base.njk`. Baseline replaces `` with the rendered `` at build time. It sits as a sibling of ``, never inside a `` of your own. If the placeholder is missing, Baseline quietly skips the replacement and nothing is injected. Refer to the minimal layout in the [[simple-baseline-site|simple site tutorial]]. --- ## 4) Page front matter Create `src/content/pages/head-demo.md`: ```md --- title: 'Head Demo' slug: 'head-demo' description: 'A page showing Baseline head defaults.' layout: 'layouts/base.njk' --- This page uses Baseline's head defaults for canonical and robots. The title and description in the front matter become the rendered `` and `<meta name="description">`. ``` --- ## 5) Per-page head overrides A page's own front matter can extend or override the site-wide head. Add this block to `src/content/pages/head-demo.md`: ```yaml head: meta: - { name: 'description', content: 'Override description for this page' } link: - { rel: 'author', href: 'https://yourdomain.com' } ``` Baseline computes the canonical URL from `page.url` and `settings.url`, stripping the query string and fragment. If `settings.url` is missing, no canonical is emitted (baseline warns at startup). To override the canonical per page, set a top-level `canonical` field in front matter. See the SEO front-matter table in [[site-settings | Site settings]]. Open Graph and Twitter card tags are emitted automatically from `settings.seo` and per-page front matter; you no longer hand-roll them as `head.meta[]` entries. --- ## 6) Noindex (site-wide and per-page) Three knobs, in widening order of scope: {% stepsBlock "compact" %} Site-wide: set `noindex: true` in `_data/settings.js`. Every page gets a `robots` noindex tag, and the sitemap is skipped entirely. Per-page: set `noindex: true` in front matter. The page renders a `robots` noindex tag and drops out of the sitemap. Sitemap-only: set `sitemap: { ignore: true }` in front matter. The page renders normally; only the sitemap entry is removed. {% endstepsBlock %} The relationship is deliberate: `noindex` is the broader signal (don't index, don't list), `sitemap.ignore` is the narrow one (just don't list). --- ## 7) Run and inspect ```bash npm start ``` - Open `/head-demo/` (default http://localhost:8080/head-demo/). - View source. Confirm the placeholder is gone, the canonical (or your override) is in, and the defaults for description and robots are rendered. - Check `dist/sitemap.xml` while dev runs. The page should appear unless `noindex` is true. --- ## 8) Production build Change `URL` in `.env` to an absolute URL. On a deployed site that's your real production URL; for this exercise, any absolute URL (e.g. `https://www.example.com/`) works to verify the output. Then run: ```bash npm run build ``` - Inspect `dist/head-demo/index.html` for the rendered head. - Confirm `dist/sitemap.xml` includes or excludes the page in line with `noindex`. - Reset `URL` in `.env` to "http://localhost:8080/". --- ## Next steps - Add custom `head.link[]`, `head.script[]`, or `head.meta[]` entries through `_data/settings.js` or per-page front matter. - For the full multilingual setup, see the [[multilingual-baseline-site | multilingual site tutorial]] and the [[head | head module reference]].