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How to Write robots.txt? Correct Configuration for Scan Budget

·6 dk min read·Technical SEO Editor

What is the Robots.txt File and What Does It Mean for Search Bots?

Robots.txt file is a simple standard protocol (REP) file located in the root directory of a website and tells search engine spiders (crawlers) which parts of the site they can access and which directories they should avoid. It is one of the most critical components of your SEO infrastructure as it is the first door search bots look at when they start crawling your site.

Basic Commands (Directives) in Robots.txt Configuration

When editing a robots.txt file, it is imperative to know the main directives used to give precise instructions to the bots:

  • User-agent: Defines which search engine bot (Googlebot, Bingbot, etc.) the rule is directed to. The "*" sign is used for all bots.
  • Disallow: Strictly blocks the specified User-agent from crawling the specified folder, file, or URL parameter.
  • Allow: Creates an exception so that only a specific sub-URL can be crawled within a large directory blocked by Disallow.

Avoiding Possible SEO Mistakes with Robots.txt

One of the most common mistakes is that the site's Javascript or CSS files are indexed. Since Google's modern browser algorithm analyzes the page by rendering it like a user, blocking these files will result in display errors.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Robots.txt block indexing?

No, robots.txt only prevents crawling. If a URL with a lot of external backlinks is blocked, the relevant page may still appear in the SERP (search results). To prevent indexing, the 'noindex' meta tag or the X-Robots-Tag title should be used.

Does every website need a robots.txt file?

Yes. Even if there is no specific directory on your site that you want to block (for example /admin or /wp-content/), this file must be located in the root directory of the site even to report the Sitemap (XML) address to search engine bots.

Should the Sitemap location be included in robots.txt?

It should definitely be added. The "Sitemap: https://yoursite.com/sitemap.xml" command makes it incredibly fast for bots to quickly discover and index your other pages.