Robots.txt and SEO: Key Aspects in 2025

From blocking unwanted bots to optimizing website accessibility, robots.txt remains a crucial tool for effective SEO. Learn how to use it efficiently.

What is Robots.txt?

The Robots Exclusion Protocol (REP), commonly known as robots.txt, has been around since 1994 and plays a key role in website optimization. This simple yet powerful file contains instructions for search engines on how to interact with your site.

Recent changes in search engine algorithms make understanding best practices for using robots.txt more relevant than ever.

Why is Robots.txt Important?

Robots.txt serves as a set of directives for web crawlers, defining which sections of a website they are allowed or forbidden to access.

It helps with:

• Protecting private sections of a site.
• Preventing indexing of low-priority pages.
• Optimizing site performance by reducing unnecessary crawling.

A properly configured robots.txt file improves SEO and ensures stable site operation.

How to Create a Robots.txt File

Creating robots.txt is straightforward. The file contains directives that instruct crawlers on how to interact with a website.

Common Robots.txt Directives

• User-agent – Specifies which bot the rules apply to.
• Disallow – Prevents bots from accessing specific sections of a site.

Basic Robots.txt Rules Examples

Allow all bots to crawl the entire website:

User-agent: *
Disallow:

Block all bots from accessing a specific directory:

User-agent: *
Disallow: /private-folder/

Prevent Googlebot from accessing the entire site:

User-agent: Googlebot
Disallow: /

Using Wildcards

Wildcards (*) allow for flexible rules that apply to multiple bots or pages.

Example:

User-agent: *
Disallow: /temp-files/*.pdf

This blocks all .pdf files in the temp-files directory.

Blocking Specific Pages

To restrict access to individual pages:

User-agent: *
Disallow: /private/page1.html
Disallow: /private/page2.html

Combining Directives

Previously, Disallow was the primary directive. However, Allow can now be used for more precise control.

Example:

User-agent: *
Disallow: /
Allow: /public-content/

This blocks the entire site except for /public-content/.

A more complex configuration:

User-agent: *
Disallow: /restricted/
Allow: /restricted/special-page.html

This blocks access to /restricted/ but allows crawling of special-page.html.

Managing URL Parameters

To prevent duplicate content issues caused by URL parameters:

User-agent: *
Disallow: /*?*

This blocks all URLs containing parameters.

Adding Comments to Robots.txt

Comments improve readability and highlight important sections. They start with #.

Example:

# Updated March 22, 2025
User-agent: *
Disallow: /test-folder/

Controlling Crawl Rate

Crawl-delay regulates how frequently bots visit your site, preventing server overload.

Example:

User-agent: *
Crawl-delay: 10

This asks bots to wait 10 seconds between requests.

Adding an XML Sitemap

Although search engines recommend submitting XML sitemaps via webmaster tools, you can also include them in robots.txt.

Example:

User-agent: *
Disallow:
Sitemap: https://www.example.com/sitemap.xml

Ensure the URL is fully qualified.

Common Robots.txt Mistakes

Incorrect Syntax

Check formatting and avoid conflicts. Use the robots.txt tester in Google Search Console.

Excessive Restrictions

Blocking too many pages may lead to lost traffic. Analyze the impact before applying strict Disallow rules.

Bots Ignoring Robots.txt

Not all bots follow robots.txt. Malicious crawlers may ignore it. For protection, use firewalls.

Additionally, blocking pages in robots.txt does not guarantee they won’t appear in search results. If external links point to a blocked page, it may still be indexed.

To completely remove a page from indexing, use the noindex meta tag.

Conclusion

Although robots.txt is a simple file, proper usage plays a crucial role in SEO. Regular updates and well-structured directives will help optimize website performance.

For further reading, check Google’s official documentation:

• Introduction to Robots.txt
• Advanced Robots.txt Configuration
• Flexible Indexing Control with Robots.txt

This article available in Ukrainian.