If you’re new to managing a website, you’ve probably come across terms like Search Engine Optimisation, web crawlers, and indexing. One small but important piece of that puzzle is the robots.txt file. It may sound technical, but don’t worry because once you understand the basics, it’s surprisingly simple.
In this guide, we’ll break down what robots.txt is, how it works, and why it can help you take more control over how search engines see your site.
What is robots.txt?
The robots.txt file is one of the eCommerce SEO checklists that boosts Google rankings. This tiny text file lives in the main folder of your website. Its job is to give instructions to search engine robots, also called bots or crawlers. These bots, like Googlebot, visit your site to scan your pages and decide what to show in search results.
You don’t need to install anything fancy. It’s just a plain text file with a few short lines of instructions. When a bot visits your website, the first thing it checks is this file. Based on what it finds there, it will either continue crawling certain parts of your site or skip them completely.
Why is robots.txt Important?
You might be wondering, “Why would I want to stop search engines from seeing parts of my site?”
Here are five good reasons:
- Keep private or sensitive pages hidden: Like login screens, admin areas, or internal reports that don’t belong in search results.
- Avoid duplicate content issues: If you have similar or repeated pages, bots may get confused and rank the wrong one.
- Hide unfinished or testing pages: You might not want Google to see a page that’s still under construction or not ready for public view.
- Focus crawlers on your best content: Blocking unimportant pages helps bots spend more time on the ones that matter.
- Save bandwidth and server resources: Especially useful for larger sites, as it reduces unnecessary crawling and speeds things up.
How Does It Work?
When a search engine bot comes to your website, it looks for the robots.txt file at the top level of your domain. For example:
www.yoursite.com/robots.txt
It reads the file line by line and follows the rules you’ve set.
Let’s say you want to stop Google from crawling your “/admin” folder. You would write:
User-agent: *
Disallow: /admin/
Here’s what this means:
- User-agent: This tells which bots the rule applies to. The asterisk (*) means all bots.
- Disallow: This tells bots not to enter that folder.
That’s it. You’ve just set up a rule.
What Can You Control with robots.txt?
The robots.txt file allows you to manage how bots behave on your site. Here are some things you can control:
- Block entire folders or sections – e.g. /private/ or /test/
- Stop bots from crawling single pages – e.g. /thank-you.html
- Prevent duplicate content from being indexed
- Help bots focus on your most valuable pages
Just remember, robots.txt is a guideline, not a guarantee. Most good bots like Googlebot will respect your instructions, but not every bot plays by the rules.
Basic Syntax and Examples
Let’s go over a few simple examples:
Block all bots from your entire website:
User-agent: *
Disallow: /
Allow all bots to crawl everything:
User-agent: *
Disallow:
Block only one specific bot (like Googlebot):
User-agent: Googlebot
Disallow: /no-google/
Block a specific page:
User-agent: *
Disallow: /hidden-page.html
Once you get the hang of the structure, you’ll see how straightforward it really is.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Even though the file is small, it’s important to be careful with it. Here are a few common mistakes:
- Blocking your entire site by accident: Some people add Disallow: / without realising it tells all bots to stop crawling the whole site.
- Thinking robots.txt hides content from people: It doesn’t. If someone knows the URL, they can still access the page. This file only speaks to bots.
- Forgetting to update after a site redesign: If your folder names change, your robots.txt file needs to be updated, too.
- Adding too many rules: Keep it clean and clear. Too many conflicting lines can confuse bots.
How to Create and Upload a robots.txt File
You don’t need any special software. Just follow these easy steps:
- Open a simple text editor like Notepad or TextEdit.
- Write your rules. Start with the user-agent and disallow lines.
- Save the file exactly as robots.txt (all lowercase).
- Upload it to the root folder of your website using FTP or your hosting control panel.
So, if your site is www.example.com, the file should be available at www.example.com/robots.txt.
If you’re using a content management system like WordPress, some SEO plugins can help you manage the file directly from your dashboard.
Tools to Check Your robots.txt File
Once your file is live, you can test it using free online tools. Google Search Console has a dedicated section for checking and validating your robots.txt.
These tools can show you:
- Which pages are blocked
- If there are errors or typos in your file
- Whether search engines are following your rules
- Always test your file before making big changes to your site.
Conclusion on What is the Use of Robots.txt
Setting up a robots.txt file might seem like a small task, but it plays a big role in how your website appears online. It gives you control, improves efficiency, and helps avoid unnecessary issues with duplicate content or private pages getting indexed.
If you’re just starting, focus on a few basic rules and get comfortable with the structure. There’s no need to get too technical at first. Just knowing how it works puts you ahead of the curve.
Ready to boost your website’s visibility and grow your online presence? Get in touch with Best SEO Singapore today for expert strategies that deliver real results.
Frequently Asked Questions About What is the Use of Robots.txt
What Does a Robots.txt File Do on a Website
It tells search engine bots which parts of your website they can or cannot crawl. It helps you guide how your site appears in search engines.
Can Robots.txt Stop Google From Indexing a Page
Not always. It can block bots from crawling a page, but if other sites link to it, Google might still index the URL without content.
Is Robots.txt a Security Feature
No, it’s not a security tool. It only gives guidance to bots and doesn’t prevent people from accessing pages directly.
Where Should I Place the Robots.txt File
It should be placed in the root directory of your website. For example, www.yoursite.com/robots.txt.
What Happens If I Don’t Use a Robots.txt File
Search engines will crawl your site freely. That’s usually fine, but you won’t have control over which pages they access or ignore.
