Robots.txt just turned 30 – cue the existential crisis! Like many hitting the big 3-0, it’s wondering if it’s still relevant in today’s world of AI and advanced search algorithms.
Spoiler alert: It definitely is!
Let’s take a look at how this file still plays a key role in managing how search engines crawl your site, how to leverage it correctly, and common pitfalls to avoid.
What Is A Robots.txt File?
A robots.txt file provides crawlers like Googlebot and Bingbot with guidelines for crawling your site. Like a map or directory at the entrance of a museum, it acts as a set of instructions at the entrance of the website, including details on:
- What crawlers are/aren’t allowed to enter?
- Any restricted areas (pages) that shouldn’t be crawled.
- Priority pages to crawl – via the XML sitemap declaration.
Its primary role is to manage crawler access to certain areas of a website by specifying which parts of the site are “off-limits.” This helps ensure that crawlers focus on the most …
