What is a robots.txt file?

A robots.txt file is a text file that tells search engine crawlers which pages or files the crawler can or can't request from your site. It's part of the Robots Exclusion Protocol (REP), a standard used by websites to communicate with web crawlers.

Where should I place my robots.txt file?

Your robots.txt file should be placed in the root directory of your website (e.g., https://example.com/robots.txt). This is the first file that search engines look for when crawling your site.

Can I block specific search engines with robots.txt?

Yes, you can use the 'User-agent' directive to target specific search engines. For example, 'User-agent: Googlebot' will only apply to Google's crawler, while 'User-agent: *' applies to all crawlers.

Robots.txt Generator

Create and customize robots.txt files to control search engine crawling

Sitemap URL

Optional: Add your XML sitemap location

User-agent Rules

Disallow:

Additional Options

Include Crawl-delay directive

User-agent Control

Target specific search engines or apply rules to all crawlers with customizable user-agent directives.

Disallow Rules

Prevent search engines from crawling specific pages or directories with easy-to-configure disallow rules.

Sitemap Declaration

Point search engines to your XML sitemap for more efficient crawling and indexing of your website.

Crawl-delay Settings

Control how frequently search engines crawl your site to prevent server overload and manage resources.

Best Practices

Keep it Simple

Avoid overly complex robots.txt files that might confuse search engines. Keep your directives clear and straightforward.

Include Sitemap Reference

Always include a reference to your XML sitemap in your robots.txt file to help search engines discover all your pages.

Test Your Robots.txt

Use search engine webmaster tools to test your robots.txt file for errors and ensure it's working as expected.

Protect Private Areas

Use robots.txt to prevent search engines from indexing private areas of your site, such as admin pages or user data.

About Robots.txt

A robots.txt file tells search engine crawlers which pages or files the crawler can or can't request from your site. This is used mainly to avoid overloading your site with requests and to prevent search engines from indexing certain pages.

Common Directives

User-agent: Specifies which crawler the rules apply to
Disallow: Tells crawlers not to access specific pages/directories
Allow: Explicitly allows crawling of specific pages/directories
Sitemap: Points to your XML sitemap location
Crawl-delay: Suggests a delay between crawler requests

Frequently Asked Questions

What should I block in robots.txt?

Common paths to block include:

Admin areas and login pages
Search result pages
Private or temporary files
Duplicate content pages
Development or staging environments

Where should I place the robots.txt file?

The robots.txt file must be placed in the root directory of your website (e.g., https://example.com/robots.txt). It won't work if placed in a subdirectory.

Is robots.txt case sensitive?

Yes, robots.txt directives are case-sensitive. For example, "Disallow" and "disallow" are treated differently. Always use the proper case: "User-agent", "Disallow", "Allow", "Sitemap".

How do I test my robots.txt file?

You can test your robots.txt file using Google Search Console's robots.txt Tester tool. This tool allows you to verify if specific URLs are blocked or allowed for different user agents. Our tool also provides a direct link to this testing tool.

Can I use robots.txt to hide content from search engines?

While robots.txt can prevent search engines from crawling certain pages, it should not be used as a security measure. Content blocked by robots.txt can still be accessed by users who know the URL. For sensitive content, use proper authentication and authorization methods.

Further Information

Search Engine Guidelines

Related Tools

Learning Resources