What is Robots.txt?¶

Think of robots.txt as a "Do Not Enter" sign for search engines.

Real-World Analogy¶

Your Website = Your House
Search Engines (Google) = Visitors
Robots.txt = Signs on your doors

Your House (Website):

🚪 Living Room ✅ "Welcome! Come in"
   (Public pages - /about, /products)

🚪 Bedroom 🚫 "Private - Stay Out"
   (Admin pages - /admin, /login)

🚪 Storage 🚫 "Messy - Don't Look"
   (Staging pages - /staging, /test)

Robots.txt tells Google: "You can visit the living room, but please stay out of the bedroom and storage."

Location: Your robots.txt file lives at: https://yoursite.com/robots.txt

Why Do Robots.txt Conflicts Matter?¶

A conflict happens when you send MIXED SIGNALS to Google:

🚫 Robots.txt says: "Don't enter this room"
   ↔️  BUT ↔️
🗺️ Sitemap says: "Hey Google, please index this important page!"
   OR
🔗 Internal links say: "This page is part of our site navigation"

This is like putting a "Do Not Enter" sign on a door, but then: - Listing it on your house tour guide (sitemap) - Putting arrows pointing to it from every room (internal links)

Result: Google is confused!

Real Consequences¶

1. Wasted Crawl Budget¶

Google tries to crawl these pages but can't → wastes time

2. Broken Link Equity¶

Your internal links point to blocked pages → SEO value lost

3. Indexing Problems¶

Important pages might not get indexed

4. Poor User Experience¶

Users can reach blocked pages but Google can't

How Robots.txt Works (Simple Explanation)¶

Your robots.txt file contains RULES:

Example robots.txt file¶

User-agent: *                    ← Applies to everyone
Disallow: /admin/                ← Block /admin/ folder
Disallow: /private/              ← Block /private/ too
Disallow: /*.pdf$                ← Block all PDF files
Allow: /admin/public/            ← Exception: allow this

Sitemap: https://site.com/sitemap.xml

Understanding the Rules¶

Rule Type	Meaning	Example
User-agent: *	Who this applies to	* = all search engines
Disallow: /admin/	Don't crawl this	Blocks everything in /admin/ folder
Allow: /admin/pub/	Exception to Disallow	Allow this specific path
Sitemap: [URL]	Where to find sitemap	Helps Google find pages

Pattern Matching Examples¶

Pattern: /admin/¶

✅ Blocks: /admin/dashboard, /admin/users, /admin/settings/profile
❌ Doesn't block: /administrator, /public/admin

Pattern: /*.pdf$¶

✅ Blocks: /guide.pdf, /docs/manual.pdf, /files/report.pdf
❌ Doesn't block: /pdf-viewer, /guide.html

Pattern: /temp¶

✅ Blocks: /temp, /temporary, /temp/file.html
❌ Doesn't block: /contemplate

Types of Conflicts Explained¶

Conflict Type 1: In Sitemap (CRITICAL) 🔴¶

What it means: Your sitemap.xml tells Google "Please index this page!" BUT robots.txt says "Don't crawl it"

Example:

Sitemap.xml:
<url>
  <loc>https://site.com/admin/dashboard</loc>
  <priority>0.8</priority> ← High priority!
</url>

Robots.txt:
Disallow: /admin/  ← BLOCKED!

Why it's critical: This is the WORST type of mixed signal. You're actively asking Google to index a page you won't let it crawl.

Conflict Type 2: Has Internal Links (HIGH) 🟠¶

What it means: Other pages on your site link to this blocked page

Example:

Homepage has link:
<a href="/admin/dashboard">Admin Login</a>

But robots.txt blocks /admin/

Why it matters: - Link equity (SEO value) flows into a dead end - Confusing for site structure - Users can reach it, but Google can't

Conflict Type 3: BOTH (MAXIMUM PRIORITY) 🔴🔴¶

When a page is BOTH in sitemap AND has internal links = Triple mixed signal = Fix immediately!

How to Fix Conflicts (Step-by-Step)¶

For EACH conflict, ask yourself ONE question:

"Should this page be PUBLIC or PRIVATE?"

         Should page be PUBLIC?
                  │
       YES ✅     │      NO 🚫
          │       │         │
          ▼       │         ▼
    Make it public    Keep it private

Option A: Page SHOULD BE PUBLIC 🌐¶

Fix: Remove robots.txt block

Example:

BEFORE (robots.txt):
Disallow: /admin/

Problem: /admin/public-info blocked

AFTER (robots.txt):
Disallow: /admin/
Allow: /admin/public-info/   ← ADD EXCEPTION

Steps: 1. Edit your robots.txt file 2. Add Allow rule OR remove the Disallow rule 3. Keep in sitemap ✓ 4. Keep internal links ✓ 5. Wait for Google to recrawl (1-2 weeks)

Option B: Page SHOULD BE PRIVATE 🔒¶

Fix: Remove from sitemap AND remove internal links

Example:

Page: /admin/dashboard

Step 1: Remove from sitemap.xml
❌ Delete: <loc>.../admin/dashboard</loc>

Step 2: Remove internal links
❌ Remove from: header, footer, homepage
✅ Only accessible via direct URL or login form

Step 3: Keep robots.txt block
✅ Disallow: /admin/  (stays as is)

Steps: 1. Open your sitemap.xml file 2. Remove the blocked URL from sitemap 3. Find all pages linking to blocked page 4. Remove those links (especially header/footer) 5. Keep robots.txt block ✓

Real-World Examples¶

URL: /admin/login

Conflict:
• ❌ Blocked by robots.txt: /admin/
• ⚠️ Footer has "Admin Login" link on every page

Should it be public? NO 🚫

Fix:
✅ Remove "Admin Login" link from footer
✅ Admins can bookmark or type URL directly
✅ Keep robots.txt block

Why: Admin pages should NOT be in public navigation

Example 2: Product PDF Catalog 📄¶

URL: /catalog.pdf

Conflict:
• ❌ Blocked by robots.txt: /*.pdf$
• ⚠️ In sitemap.xml
• ⚠️ Linked from 10 product pages

Should it be public? YES ✅
(It's a valuable resource customers need)

Fix:
✅ Remove /*.pdf$ rule from robots.txt
   OR
✅ Add: Allow: /catalog.pdf
✅ Keep in sitemap
✅ Keep internal links

Why: PDFs can rank in Google and drive traffic

Example 3: Staging/Test Pages 🧪¶

URL: /staging/test-page

Conflict:
• ❌ Blocked by robots.txt: /staging/
• ⚠️ In sitemap (accidentally)

Should it be public? NO 🚫
(It's a work-in-progress test page)

Fix:
✅ Remove from sitemap.xml
✅ Remove any internal links
✅ Keep robots.txt block
✅ Better: Use password protection instead

Why: Test pages should never be discovered by search engines

Example 4: "Thank You" Pages 🎉¶

URL: /thank-you-download

Conflict:
• ❌ Blocked by robots.txt: /thank-you*
• ⚠️ Has 5 internal links from blog posts

Should it be public? MAYBE 🤔

Two schools of thought:

Option A: Keep private
• Only accessible after form submission
• Remove from navigation
• Keep robots.txt block

Option B: Make public
• Can rank for "download X" searches
• Shows social proof
• Remove robots.txt block

Common Mistakes to Avoid¶

Mistake 1: Blocking Everything by Accident¶

Bad robots.txt:

User-agent: *
Disallow: /     ← BLOCKS ENTIRE SITE!

Result: Your entire website disappears from Google

How to avoid: Test your robots.txt carefully before deploying

Mistake 2: Blocking CSS and JavaScript¶

Bad:

Disallow: /css/
Disallow: /js/
Disallow: /images/

Result: Google can't render your pages properly

Fix: NEVER block CSS, JS, or images

Mistake 3: Using Robots.txt for Security¶

Bad idea:

Disallow: /admin/
(thinking this protects admin pages)

Reality: Anyone can still access /admin/ by typing URL. Robots.txt is PUBLIC - anyone can read it!

Fix: Use proper authentication (passwords, login required)

Mistake 4: Forgetting to Update Sitemap¶

You block pages in robots.txt but forget to remove from sitemap = Creates conflicts!

Fix: When you block pages, also update your sitemap

Mistake 5: Over-Blocking¶

Bad:

Disallow: /products/    ← Blocks all products!
(You only wanted to block /products/test/)

Fix: Be specific with your rules

Disallow: /products/test/   ← Only blocks test products

Quick Fix Checklist¶

For EACH conflict found:

[ ] Step 1: Decide - Should this page be public or private?
[ ] Step 2: If PUBLIC:
[ ] Remove robots.txt block (or add Allow exception)
[ ] Keep in sitemap ✓
[ ] Keep internal links ✓
[ ] Step 3: If PRIVATE:
[ ] Remove from sitemap.xml
[ ] Remove internal links (especially header/footer)
[ ] Keep robots.txt block ✓
[ ] Consider adding password protection
[ ] Step 4: Test your changes
[ ] Check robots.txt at yoursite.com/robots.txt
[ ] Verify sitemap.xml updated
[ ] Check that unwanted links are removed
[ ] Step 5: Submit to Google (optional but recommended)
[ ] Go to Google Search Console
[ ] Submit updated sitemap
[ ] Request reindex for changed pages

Estimated time: 30-60 minutes to fix all conflicts

How to Test Robots.txt¶

Before making changes, TEST first!

Method 1: Google Search Console (Free Tool)¶

Go to: search.google.com/search-console
Select your website
Go to: Settings → robots.txt Tester
Test a URL to see if it's blocked

Method 2: Manual Check¶

Visit: yoursite.com/robots.txt
Check if your URLs match the Disallow rules
Remember: Disallow: /admin/ → Blocks /admin/anything

Method 3: Online Tools¶

Search for: "robots.txt tester" (many free tools available)

What to Expect After Fixing¶

Timeline¶

Timeframe	What Happens
Immediate	Changes take effect once robots.txt is updated
1-2 weeks	Google recrawls and notices changes
2-4 weeks	Indexing reflects your updates

What you'll see¶

✅ No more conflicts in this report
✅ Pages you unblocked start appearing in Google
✅ Cleaner site architecture
✅ Better crawl efficiency

Monitor¶

Google Search Console → Coverage report
Check for "Blocked by robots.txt" warnings
Verify intended pages are indexed

FAQ: Common Questions¶

Q: "Do I need a robots.txt file?"

A: Not required, but recommended. If you don't have one, Google can crawl everything. Better to have one that explicitly allows all:

User-agent: *
Disallow:

Q: "Will robots.txt protect my private pages?"

A: NO! Anyone can still access blocked pages by typing the URL. Robots.txt only stops search engines from CRAWLING, not ACCESSING. Use password protection for actual security.

Q: "I fixed conflicts but still see them in the report. Why?"

A: This report shows a snapshot from your last crawl. Run a new crawl to see updated results.

Q: "Can I block specific search engines (like Bing but not Google)?"

A: Yes! Use different User-agent directives:

User-agent: Googlebot    (Google only)
User-agent: Bingbot      (Bing only)

Q: "I accidentally blocked my whole site! How do I fix it?"

A: Edit robots.txt immediately: - Change: Disallow: / (blocks everything) - To: Disallow: (blocks nothing) - Then request re-indexing in Google Search Console.

Further Learning¶

Want to learn more? Search for: - "robots.txt tutorial" - "How to create robots.txt" - "robots.txt best practices" - "Google robots.txt tester"

Official documentation: - Google: developers.google.com/search/docs/crawling-indexing/robots/ - Robots Exclusion Protocol: robotstxt.org

What is Robots.txt?¶

Real-World Analogy¶

Why Do Robots.txt Conflicts Matter?¶

Real Consequences¶

1. Wasted Crawl Budget¶

2. Broken Link Equity¶

3. Indexing Problems¶

4. Poor User Experience¶

How Robots.txt Works (Simple Explanation)¶

Example robots.txt file¶

Understanding the Rules¶

Pattern Matching Examples¶

Pattern: /admin/¶

Pattern: /*.pdf$¶

Pattern: /temp¶

Types of Conflicts Explained¶

Conflict Type 1: In Sitemap (CRITICAL) 🔴¶

Conflict Type 2: Has Internal Links (HIGH) 🟠¶

Conflict Type 3: BOTH (MAXIMUM PRIORITY) 🔴🔴¶

How to Fix Conflicts (Step-by-Step)¶

Option A: Page SHOULD BE PUBLIC 🌐¶

Option B: Page SHOULD BE PRIVATE 🔒¶

Real-World Examples¶

Example 1: Admin Login Page 🔐¶

Example 2: Product PDF Catalog 📄¶

Example 3: Staging/Test Pages 🧪¶

Example 4: "Thank You" Pages 🎉¶

Common Mistakes to Avoid¶

Mistake 1: Blocking Everything by Accident¶

Mistake 2: Blocking CSS and JavaScript¶

Mistake 3: Using Robots.txt for Security¶

Mistake 4: Forgetting to Update Sitemap¶

Mistake 5: Over-Blocking¶

Quick Fix Checklist¶

How to Test Robots.txt¶

Method 1: Google Search Console (Free Tool)¶

Method 2: Manual Check¶

Method 3: Online Tools¶

What to Expect After Fixing¶

Timeline¶

What you'll see¶

Monitor¶

FAQ: Common Questions¶

Further Learning¶