Direct answer
Before launch, priority pages should be self-canonical, indexable, internally linked, and listed in the sitemap. Support or draft pages can be noindexed and omitted from the sitemap.
The useful version of this topic is practical: it should help a buyer make a better website decision, not just define a term.
Practical framework
Use the framework below to turn the topic into a page, brief, audit, or approval checklist.
- Check each priority page has a self-canonical
- Confirm sitemap includes only intended indexable routes
- Confirm robots does not block priority pages
- Confirm noindex pages are not in the sitemap
- Check metadata and headings match page intent
- Test important internal links
Method proof to prepare
When public client proof is not available, method proof can still make the decision inspectable without inventing outcomes, reviews, awards, or rankings.
- Sitemap XML
- Robots output
- Canonical crawl
- Noindex route list
- Internal link check