The robots.txt is a crucial file located in the root directory of a website, serving as a guide for search engine bots and other web crawlers. Its primary function is to provide instructions on which areas of the site should be explored and indexed. By utilizing the “disallow” directive within this file, webmasters can specify particular directories or URLs that are off-limits to these bots, ensuring that sensitive or irrelevant content is not included in search engine results.
Furthermore, the robots.txt file can be used to point bots to the precise locations of a website’s sitemaps, particularly useful when a site has multiple sitemaps. This aids in the efficient discovery and indexing of web pages. To access a website’s robots.txt file, simply append /robots.txt to the domain name—for instance, non.agency/robots.txt. It is one of the first files a bot will check upon visiting a site, making it a fundamental component of website management and search engine optimization.