Robots.txt is a text file placed in a website’s root directory that provides instructions to search engine crawlers about which pages or sections of the site should not be accessed or indexed.
Overview
Robots.txt serves as a communication protocol between websites and search engine bots, helping control crawler behavior and server resource allocation. The robots.txt file follows the Robots Exclusion Protocol standard and can prevent search engines from wasting crawl budget on unimportant pages like admin areas, duplicate content, or staging environments. Robots.txt instructions are suggestions rather than commands, meaning search engines may choose to ignore robots.txt directives, particularly for security-sensitive content.
Examples
• An e-commerce website uses robots.txt to block search engines from crawling internal search result pages and shopping cart URLs that create duplicate content issues
• A web design agency implements robots.txt directives to prevent Google from indexing client staging sites and development directories during website launches
• A digital marketing team uses robots.txt to disallow crawling of thank-you pages and conversion tracking URLs while allowing access to important landing pages and blog content