HELP!! How to make sure search engines don't index my forum?

[Terrified newbie]

Hello there 

First I think I should make it clear that I know NOTHING about programming. I read the SMF instructions some fifty times, highlighted the important bits, and still nearly had a heart attack every time I clicked the mouse.

So, with that in mind...

I want to make my forum totally private.  So that the contents of the posts etc are not visible / indexed by search engines. It's not that I have anything... naughty.... on my forum, it is just that I want it to be a totally private forum for my students (I run a dance school).

I have limited the registration, so I won't have anyone looking on the forum that isn't registered, and it is not viewable by guests, but that doesn't mean a lot if Google then goes and trudges through it and records everything.

Can anyone help me?

In offering advice, I'll tell you now, it is not possible to oversimplify. I won't be insulted / feel patronised, I promise.

Thanks guys.
x

[kat]

Hi, oh Terrified one!

Welcome to the madhouse!

Have a read, here:

http://www.robotstxt.org

Useful stuff. 

If your forum's not open guest-viewing, though, you should be OK.

[Oya]

as in... admin > features and options > allow guests to browse the forum (untick)

[kat]

I nearly mentioned that.

He has that covered, though.

it is not viewable by guests