{"id":24640,"date":"2022-05-04T12:14:23","date_gmt":"2022-05-04T19:14:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.vdigitalservices.com\/?p=24640"},"modified":"2024-01-18T16:25:06","modified_gmt":"2024-01-18T23:25:06","slug":"how-to-use-robots-txt-to-allow-or-disallow-everything","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.vdigitalservices.com\/how-to-use-robots-txt-to-allow-or-disallow-everything\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Use Robots.txt to Allow or Disallow Everything"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/span><\/p>\n At first glance, the robots.txt file might look like something reserved for only the most text-savvy among us. But actually, learning how to use a robots.txt file is something anybody can and should master.<\/span><\/p>\n And if you\u2019re interested in having precision control over which areas of your website allow access to search engine robots (and which ones you can keep off-limits), then this is the resource you need.<\/span><\/p>\n In this guide, we\u2019re going to go over the fundamental basics, including:<\/span><\/p>\n In simplest terms, robots.txt is a special text file located on your website\u2019s root domain and used to communicate with search engine robots. The text file specifies which webpages\/folders within a given website they are permitted to access.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n You might want to block URLs in robots.txt to prevent search engines from indexing specific webpages that you don\u2019t want online users to access. For example, a \u201cDisallow\u201d robots.txt file might forbid access to webpages containing expired special offers, unreleased products, or private, internal-only content.<\/span><\/p>\n When it comes to resolving duplicate content problems, or other similar issues, using the robots.txt file to disallow access can also support your SEO efforts.<\/span><\/p>\n Exactly how does a robots.txt file work? When a search engine robot begins crawling your website, it first checks to see if there is a robots.txt file in place. If one exists, the search engine robot can \u201cunderstand\u201d which of the pages they are not allowed to access, and they will only view permitted pages.<\/span><\/p>\n The primary reason for using a robots.txt file is to block search engines (Google, Bing, etc.) from indexing specific webpages or content.<\/span><\/p>\n These types of files can be an ideal option if you want to:<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n As you can see, there are many reasons to use a robots.txt file. However, if you want search engines to access and index your website in its entirety, then there is no need for a robots.txt file.<\/span><\/p>\n First, let\u2019s ensure that there\u2019s not an existing robots.txt file for your website. In the URL bar of your web browser, add \u201c\/robots.txt\u201d to the end of your domain name (like this – <\/span>www.example.com\/robots.txt<\/span><\/i>).<\/span><\/p>\n If a blank page appears, you do not have a robots.txt file. But if a file with a list of instructions shows up, then there <\/span>is <\/span><\/i>one.<\/span><\/p>\n One of the most significant benefits to robots.txt files is that they simplify allowing or disallowing multiple pages at one time without requiring that you manually access each page\u2019s code.<\/span><\/p>\n There are three basic options for robots.txt files, each one with a specific outcome:<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Once you pinpoint your desired purpose, you\u2019re ready to set up the file.<\/span><\/p>\n When you create a robots.txt file, there are two key elements you\u2019ll be working with:<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n These lines include a single entry within the robots.txt file, which means that one robots.txt file can contain multiple entries.<\/span><\/p>\n You can use the user-agent line to name a specific search engine bot (such as Google\u2019s Googlebot), or you can use an asterisk (*) to indicate that the block should apply to all search engines: <\/span>User-agent: *<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n Then, the disallow line will break down exactly what access is restricted. A forward slash (<\/span>Disallow: \/<\/b>) blocks the entire website. Or, you can use a forward slash followed by a specific page, image, file type, or directory. For example, <\/span>Disallow: \/bad-directory\/ <\/i><\/b>will block the website directory and its contents, while <\/span>Disallow: \/secret.html <\/i><\/b>blocks a webpage.<\/span><\/p>\n Put it all together, and you may have an entry that looks something like this:<\/span><\/p>\n User-agent: *<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n Disallow: \/bad-directory\/<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n Every URL you want to Allow or Disallow needs to be situated on its own line. If you include multiple URLs on a single line, you can run into issues when crawlers cannot separate them.<\/span><\/p>\n You can find a wide variety of example entries in<\/span> this resource from Google<\/span><\/a> if you\u2019d like to see some other potential options.<\/span><\/p>\n Once finished with your entries, you\u2019ll need to save the file properly.<\/span><\/p>\n Here\u2019s how:<\/span><\/p>\n Finally, run a quick test in the Google Search Console to ensure your robots.txt file is working as it should.<\/span><\/p>\n Now, you know how to use robots.txt to Disallow to Allow access \u2013 but when should you avoid it?<\/span><\/p>\n According to Google, robots.txt shouldn\u2019t be your go-to method for blocking URLs without rhyme or reason. This method for blocking isn\u2019t a substitute for proper website development and structure, and it\u2019s certainly not an acceptable stand-in for security measures.<\/span> Google offers<\/span><\/a> some reasons to use various methods for blocking crawlers, so you can decide which one best fits your needs.<\/span><\/p>\n You\u2019ve learned that there are some situations in which the robots.txt file can be incredibly useful. However, there are also more than a few scenarios that don\u2019t call for a robots.txt file \u2013 and you can even accidentally create an unintentional ripple effect.<\/span><\/p>\n With help from the expert web development and design team at V Digital Services, you can make sure your website checks all the right boxes: SEO, usability, aesthetics, and more. We\u2019ll work with you to find the ideal solutions for any current challenges and strategize innovative ways to pursue new goals in the future. Whether you\u2019re still confused about the robots.txt file, or you\u2019re simply ready to get professional web development support, V Digital Services is your go-to team for all things digital marketing.<\/span><\/p>\n Get started when you contact our team <\/a>today!<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Photo credits: BEST-BACKGROUNDS<\/span><\/a>, REDPIXEL.PL<\/span><\/a>, Elle Aon<\/span><\/a>, SFIO CRACHO<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" At first glance, the robots.txt file might look like something reserved for only the most text-savvy among us. But actually, learning how to use a robots.txt file is something anybody can and should master. And if you\u2019re interested in having precision control over which areas of your website allow access to search engine robots (and […] KEEP READING<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":25673,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"post_mailing_queue_ids":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vdigitalservices.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24640"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vdigitalservices.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vdigitalservices.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vdigitalservices.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/13"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vdigitalservices.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=24640"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.vdigitalservices.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24640\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vdigitalservices.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/25673"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vdigitalservices.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=24640"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vdigitalservices.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=24640"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vdigitalservices.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=24640"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}\n
What is a Robots.txt File?<\/b><\/h2>\n
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When to Use a Robots.txt File<\/b><\/h2>\n
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How to Set Up a Robots.txt File<\/b><\/h2>\n
1.<\/b>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 <\/span>Check if your website already has a robots.txt file in place.<\/b><\/h3>\n
2.<\/b>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 <\/span>If you are creating a new robots.txt file, determine your overall goal.<\/b><\/h3>\n
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3.<\/b>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 <\/span>Use a robots.txt file to block selected URLs.<\/b><\/h3>\n
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4.<\/b>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 <\/span>Save the robots.txt file.<\/b><\/h3>\n
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6.<\/b>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 <\/span>Test the robots.txt file.<\/b><\/h3>\n
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When You Should Not Use the Robots.txt File<\/b><\/h2>\n
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Refine Your SEO Strategy and Website Design the Right Way with V Digital Services<\/b><\/h2>\n