Robots.txt

Robots.txt is a text file that provides instructions to web crawlers about which parts of a website should or should not be crawled and indexed. Key aspects include:

Purpose:

• Controls crawler access to specific areas of a website
• Helps manage crawl budget by directing crawlers to important content
• Can prevent indexing of duplicate or low-value pages

Location:

• Must be placed in the root directory of the website (e.g., https://www.example.com/robots.txt)

Syntax:

• Uses simple directives like “User-agent” and “Disallow”
• Can specify different rules for different crawlers

Best Practices:

• Use with caution, as blocking important content can harm SEO
• Combine with other methods (like meta robots tags) for more precise control
• Include a link to your sitemap in the robots.txt file

Example:

User-agent: *
Disallow: /private/
Allow: /public/
Sitemap: https://www.example.com/sitemap.xml

Important Notes:

• Robots.txt is a suggestion, not a security measure
• It doesn’t prevent page indexing if linked from other sources
• Use noindex meta tags or X-Robots-Tag HTTP headers for preventing indexing

Both sitemaps and robots.txt files play crucial roles in guiding search engines through your website, optimizing crawl efficiency, and improving overall SEO performance.