What is robots.txt?

What is `robots.txt`?

The robots.txt file is a simple text file located in the root directory of a website (e.g., yourdomain.com/robots.txt). It tells search engine crawlers (like Googlebot) which pages or sections of the site they are allowed or disallowed to crawl and index.

Why is `robots.txt` Necessary?

Controls Crawler Access

Prevents search engines from indexing sensitive pages (e.g., admin panels, login pages, staging sites).
Example:
User-agent: * Disallow: /admin/ Disallow: /private-files/
This blocks all bots from crawling /admin/ and /private-files/.

Avoids Duplicate Content Issues

Stops Google from indexing multiple versions of the same page (e.g., printer-friendly pages, search results).

Saves Crawl Budget

For large sites, robots.txt helps prioritize which pages should be crawled first (important for SEO).

Prevents Unwanted Indexing

Keeps low-value pages (e.g., thank-you pages, internal search results) out of search results.

Common `robots.txt` Rules

Rule	Purpose
`User-agent: *`	Applies to all search bots (Googlebot, Bingbot, etc.)
`Disallow: /folder/`	Blocks crawling of a specific directory
`Allow: /public-page.html`	Overrides a `Disallow` rule for a specific page
`Sitemap: https://example.com/sitemap.xml`	Tells crawlers where to find your sitemap

Example:

User-agent: *  
Disallow: /temp/  
Disallow: /wp-admin/  
Allow: /public-blog/  
Sitemap: https://example.com/sitemap.xml

(Blocks /temp/ and /wp-admin/ but allows /public-blog/)

What Happens if You Don’t Have a `robots.txt`?

Search engines will crawl everything (including private or duplicate pages).
Wastes crawl budget on unimportant pages.
Risk of sensitive pages appearing in Google search.

How to Check Your `robots.txt`?

Visit yourdomain.com/robots.txt in a browser.
Use Google Search Console’s robots.txt Tester (under “Old Tools” > “Robots.txt Tester”).

⚠️ Warning: A misconfigured robots.txt can accidentally block Google from indexing your entire site! Always test changes.

Final Tip

Do NOT block CSS/JS files (Google needs them to understand your site).
Never use robots.txt to hide private data (use password protection instead).

Need help checking your robots.txt? Share your URL, and I can review it! 🚀