How to restrict crawlers from content.
Robots.txt problems can occur during the implementation and usage of the robots.txt file on your website. The robots.txt file is a text file placed in the root directory of your website to provide instructions to web crawlers or search engine robots about which parts of your website should be crawled and indexed. Here are six common robots.txt issues:
- Missing robots.txt file – One of the main issues is the absence of a robots.txt file on your website. Without a robots.txt file, search engine robots assume they have permission to crawl and index all parts of your site. This may not be desirable if there are specific pages or directories that should be restricted from indexing.
- Inaccessible or Misconfigured robots.txt File – If your robots.txt file is not accessible or has incorrect permissions, search engine robots may not be able to fetch and read the file properly. This can lead to unintended crawling and indexing of pages that were intended to be restricted.
- Incorrect or Conflicting Directives – The robots.txt file uses specific web crawler directives, such as “User-agent” and “Disallow. Incorrectly using or conflicting directives can cause issues. For example, if your page is disallowed in one part of the robots.txt file but allowed in another part, it can create confusion for search engine robots.
- Overuse of “Disallow” – The “Disallow” directive is used to specify parts of the website that should not be crawled by search engine robots. However, if “Disallow” is used excessively or improperly, it can inadvertently block access to important pages or directories that should be crawled and indexed.
- Incorrect Syntax or Formatting – The robots.txt file has a specific syntax and formatting that must be followed. Errors in syntax or formatting, such as missing line breaks, incorrect indentation, or improper use of wildcard characters, can lead to parsing issues by search engine robots.
- Lack of Updates – Your website may evolve over time, and content or directory structures may change. Failing to update your robots.txt file accordingly can result in outdated directives that no longer reflect your website’s current structure or intentions.
To solve robots.txt issues, we recommend the following five steps:
- Create Valid robots.txt File – Generate a robots.txt file that conforms to the guidelines provided by search engines. Include the appropriate directives to specify which parts of your website should be crawled or indexed and which parts should be restricted.
- Test robots.txt File – Use the robots.txt Tester in Google Search Console or third-party robots.txt validators to check for errors or issues in your file. Verify that the directives are correctly interpreted by search engine robots.
- Ensure Accessibility and Proper Permissions – Make sure that your robots.txt file is accessible and properly placed in the root directory of the website. Set the appropriate file permissions to allow search engine robots to fetch and read your file.
- Regularly Review and Update the robots.txt file – Review your robots.txt file periodically to ensure it accurately reflects your website structure and intentions. Update the file when there are changes to your website content, directory structure, or crawling requirements.
- Monitor Search Engine Reports – Monitor your robots.txt-related warnings or errors reported in the Google Search Console or other search engine tools. Address these issues promptly to ensure proper crawling and indexing of your website.