Generate robots.txt files to control Google, Bing crawler access. Create disallow
rules, add sitemap, configure crawl delay. Free SEO robots.txt maker.
What is Robots.txt?
The robots.txt file is part of the Robots Exclusion Protocol, a standard used
by websites to communicate with web crawlers and search engine bots. It tells
crawlers which URLs they can access on your site, helping you control how your
site is crawled and indexed.
User-agent: Specifies which crawler the rules apply to
Disallow: Blocks crawlers from accessing specific paths
Allow: Permits access to specific paths (overrides Disallow)
Sitemap: Points to your XML sitemap location
Crawl-delay: Requests delay between requests (seconds)
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a robots.txt file?
A robots.txt file tells search engine crawlers which pages or files
they can or cannot access on your website. It's placed in the root directory and helps
control crawl budget and prevent indexing of private or duplicate content.
How do I block Google from my site?
To block Google, add: User-agent: Googlebot followed by Disallow: /
to block all pages, or Disallow: /folder/ to block specific folders. Be careful as this
prevents Google from indexing those pages.
Should I add my sitemap to robots.txt?
Yes! Adding your sitemap URL to robots.txt helps search engines
discover it. Use the format: Sitemap: https://devtools.dshaw.org/sitemap.xml. This is
especially helpful for large websites.
What does Disallow: / mean?
Disallow: / means block all crawling of the website. This tells
crawlers not to access any pages. Use this carefully as it will prevent your site from
appearing in search results.