Robots.txt is a simple text file placed in the root directory of your website that communicates with web crawlers, informing them about which parts of your site should be crawled and indexed. Essentially, it serves as a gatekeeper, directing search engine bots on how to interact with your website’s content. It is also known as the robots exclusion protocol or standard.
Whether you’re a seasoned webmaster or just dipping your toes into the realm of SEO, comprehending the significance of robots.txt can significantly impact your site’s visibility and performance.
Why is robots.txt important for SEO?
Robots.txt is important for SEO because it can help you control how search engines crawl and index your site. You can use robots.txt to:
- Prevent duplicate content issues by telling crawlers to avoid certain pages or directories that have the same or similar content as other pages on your site by blocking.
- Save your site’s crawl budget by telling crawlers to skip low-value pages or files that are not relevant for your site’s ranking or user experience.
- Protect your site’s privacy and security by telling crawlers to avoid sensitive or confidential pages or files that you don’t want to be publicly accessible.
How to create and edit robots.txt?
Robots.txt is a simple text file that you can create and edit using any text editor. You need to place it in the root directory of your site, such as https://example.com/robots.txt.
Wildcard in robots.txt
A wildcard “* or $” in robots.txt is a special character that can be used to match a sequence of characters or the end of a URL. There are two types of wildcards: * and $. The * wildcard can match any sequence of characters within a URL. For example,
Disallow: /*/foo/ will block any URL that contains /foo/ in any directory. This means that /bar/foo/, /foo/baz/, and /bar/foo/baz/ will all be blocked, but /foo/ and /bar/ will not.
Wildcards are not part of the original robots.txt specification, but they are supported by Google and some other search engines. You can use the Google Search Console to test your robots.txt rules and see how Googlebot will interpret them. You can also read more about how to use wildcards in robots.txt on this blog post.
The syntax of robots.txt is based on two types of lines: user-agent and disallow. A user-agent line specifies which crawler or group of crawlers the following rules apply to. A disallow line specifies which page or file path the crawler should not request. For example:
User-agent: *
Disallow: /admin/
This means that all crawlers (*) are not allowed (/) to request any page or file under the /admin/ directory.
You can also use an allow line to override a disallow line for a specific page or file. For example:
User-agent: *
Disallow: /images/
Allow: /images/logo.png
This means that all crawlers are not allowed to request any page or file under the /images/ directory, except for the logo.png file.
You can also use a sitemap line to tell crawlers where to find your XML sitemap. For example:
Sitemap: https://example.com/sitemap.xml
This means that crawlers can find your sitemap at the specified URL.
How to test and validate robots.txt?
Before you upload or update your robots.txt file, you should always test and validate it to make sure it works as intended and does not block any important pages or files from being crawled and indexed. You can use various tools to test and validate your robots.txt file, such as:
- Google Search Console’s robots.txt tester tool: This tool allows you to see how Google’s crawler (Googlebot) interprets your robots.txt file and whether it can access a specific URL on your site. You can also edit and submit your robots.txt file directly from this tool.
- Bing Webmaster Tools’ robots.txt tester tool: This tool allows you to see how Bing’s crawler (Bingbot) interprets your robots.txt file and whether it can access a specific URL on your site. You can also edit and submit your robots.txt file directly from this tool.
- Online robots.txt validator tools: There are many online tools that can help you check the syntax and validity of your robots.txt file.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
In the realm of robots.txt, even minor errors can have significant repercussions on your site’s visibility. Avoid these common pitfalls:
- Blocking Important Pages: Carelessly blocking crucial pages or resources can hinder your site’s performance in search results.
- Incorrect Syntax: A single misplaced character in your robots.txt file can render your directives ineffective. Double-check your syntax to ensure its error-free.
- Overlooking Wildcards: Utilize wildcard characters (*) with caution, as they can inadvertently block unintended parts of your site if not used judiciously.
Conclusion
Robots.txt is a powerful tool that can help you optimize your site’s SEO by controlling how web crawlers access your site. However, you should use it with caution and always test and validate it before uploading or updating it. Remember that robots.txt is not a security measure and it does not prevent your pages or files from being linked or displayed by other sites. If you want to prevent your pages or files from being indexed by search engines, you should use other methods, such as meta tags, HTTP headers, or password protection.