Robots.txt is a simple but powerful text file that tells search engine crawlers which pages or sections of your website to crawl or avoid. Proper use of robots.txt helps protect sensitive content and improves crawl efficiency.
What is Robots.txt?
Robots.txt is a plain text file located in your website’s root directory (e.g., https://example.com/robots.txt). It contains instructions for search engine bots about what they can or cannot crawl.
Why Use Robots.txt?
Control Crawling: Block unimportant or duplicate pages from being crawled.
Save Crawl Budget: Focus search engine crawlers on your most important pages.
Protect Sensitive Areas: Prevent bots from indexing private directories.
Improve SEO: By guiding bots, you can improve site indexing and rankings.
Basic Syntax of Robots.txt
User-agent:Specifies which crawler the rule applies to.Disallow:Blocks access to specified pages or folders.Allow:Permits access to certain pages within a disallowed folder.Sitemap:Points bots to your sitemap location.
Example Robots.txt File
This blocks all bots from /admin/ and /private/ but allows /public/.
Common Robots.txt Use Cases
Block admin or login pages from crawling.
Prevent indexing of staging or test environments.
Exclude duplicate content pages like print versions.
Manage crawling of parameterized URLs.
Important Tips
Robots.txt cannot prevent pages from being indexed if they are linked externally. For that, use noindex meta tags.
Test your robots.txt using Google Search Console’s Robots Testing Tool.
Avoid blocking CSS or JavaScript files as it may affect rendering and SEO.
Keep the file updated when site structure changes.
Robots.txt vs Meta Robots
Robots.txt controls crawling.
Meta robots tags control indexing on a per-page basis.
Conclusion:
Robots.txt is essential for managing how search engines interact with your website. Proper use can enhance SEO by directing crawlers efficiently and protecting sensitive content.