# How to Disable Search Engine Indexing with JetHost Total Care

> Canonical: https://jethost.com/kb/disable-search-engine-indexing-with-jethost-total-care/ · Last modified: 2026-10-21T11:17:39+00:00

Don’t want a site to appear in Google yet? **Disable Search Engine Indexing** in [JetHost Total Care](https://wordpress.org/plugins/jethost-total-care/) asks search engines not to index your site. This guide shows how and when to use it on any [JetHost WordPress hosting](https://jethost.com/hosting-for-wordpress/) plan.

## Discourage indexing

1. In your WordPress dashboard, open **JetHost Total Care → Admin Enhancements**.
2. Toggle on **Disable Search Engine Indexing**.

![Disable Search Engine Indexing option in JetHost Total Care](https://jethost.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/jtc-opt-disable-indexing.png)This sets your site to discourage search engines, the same effect as the WordPress “Search Engine Visibility” setting. Search engines are asked not to index your pages, so your unfinished or private site stays out of search results while you work on it.

## Important: turn it off at launch

This is the single most important thing to remember: leave it on while building, but **turn it off before you go live**, or your finished site won’t appear in Google. It’s a request, not a hard block – it reliably keeps you out of the major search engines, but to keep a site fully private use [Password Protect the Website](https://jethost.com/kb/password-protect-website-with-jethost-total-care/) as well. A common mistake is launching with indexing still disabled and wondering why there’s no search traffic, so make switching it off part of your go-live checklist.

## How WordPress controls indexing

WordPress has a built-in “Search Engine Visibility” setting that asks search engines not to index the site. This toggle flips that same switch for you, adding a `noindex` signal so Google and other engines are told to stay away. It’s the right choice while a site is unfinished, under redesign, or on a staging copy – you don’t want an incomplete site, or a duplicate of your live one, showing up in search results and competing with the real thing.

## Don’t forget to re-enable it – and SEO basics

The one rule that matters most: it’s a request, not a hard block, and it must be turned off at launch or your finished site simply won’t appear in Google. Make “turn indexing back on” part of your go-live checklist – plenty of sites launch and stay invisible for weeks because this was left on. For a site that must be fully private, not just hidden from search, combine it with [Password Protect the Website](https://jethost.com/kb/password-protect-website-with-jethost-total-care/). Once you do go live, good indexing also depends on the usual WordPress SEO basics: clean permalinks, a sitemap, and fast-loading pages.

## JetHost Experts Tip

Put “turn off Disable Search Engine Indexing” at the top of your launch checklist. Sites that go live with it still on can stay invisible in Google for weeks until someone notices.

## Need More Help?

Not sure whether your live site is indexable? [Reach out](https://jethost.com/contact-us/) and we’ll check it for you.