What is a robots.txt file?

The basics of robots.txt

A “robots.txt” file is a simple text file that can be placed in your website’s main folder. 

It tells search engines/web crawlers (also known as ‘bots’) which parts of your site they can or cannot visit. It’s like a set of instructions for search engine bots when they come to your site.

What is robots.txt?  

• Purpose: It tells search engines which pages or sections of your website they can or cannot visit.

• Location: The file is usually placed in the root directory of your website (e.g., `example.com/robots.txt`).  

Why is robots.txt important?  

• Protect private content: You can restrict bots from accessing pages you don’t want to appear in search results (e.g., admin areas or test pages).

• Save server resources: By blocking unnecessary pages, you allow bots to focus on the important parts of your website.

• Avoid duplicate content: You can prevent bots from crawling duplicate or unimportant URLs.  

Example of a basic Robots.txt file  

1

User-agent: *  

2

Disallow: /private/  

3

Allow: /

• User-agent: means these rules apply to all bots.
• Disallow: /private/ tells bots not to visit the folder named “private.”
• Allow: / permits bots to crawl the rest of the site.  

How to create a Robots.txt file  

1. Open a text editor (e.g., Notepad).
2. Write your rules (as in the example above).
3. Save the file as `robots.txt`.
4. Upload it to your website’s root directory.  

Points to remember:

• Not a security tool: Robots.txt only gives *instructions* to bots. It doesn’t block access. For true security, use password protection or other methods.

• Public file: Anyone can view your robots.txt file by typing your website URL followed by `/robots.txt`.

• Doesn’t guarantee compliance: Good bots (like Google) follow robots.txt rules, but malicious bots might ignore them.  

Best Practices:

• Block only what’s necessary: Don’t accidentally block important pages like your homepage or product pages.

• Test your file: Use tools like Google Search Console to ensure your robots.txt is working as intended.  

By managing your robots.txt file carefully, you can guide search engines to focus on the most important parts of your website while keeping irrelevant or private areas out of their reach.