Robots.txt

Robots.txt is a text file placed in the root directory of a website that provides instructions to web crawlers and bots about which pages or sections of the site should or should not be crawled and indexed. This file follows the Robots Exclusion Standard and serves as a communication tool between website owners and search engine crawlers, helping control how bots access and interact with website content.

The robots.txt file can specify rules for different user agents (crawlers), disallow access to specific directories or files, point to XML sitemap locations, and set crawl delays to prevent server overload. While robots.txt provides guidance to well-behaved crawlers, it's not legally enforceable and malicious bots may ignore these directives.

For AI-powered search and GEO optimization, robots.txt is important because it helps ensure AI crawling systems access only the appropriate content while avoiding private, duplicate, or low-quality pages that might dilute content authority. Proper robots.txt configuration can guide AI systems toward the most valuable and authoritative content on a site.

Common robots.txt directives include User-agent specifications, Disallow and Allow rules, Sitemap declarations, and Crawl-delay settings. Best practices include keeping the file simple and readable, avoiding blocking important CSS and JavaScript files, testing directives before implementation, and regularly reviewing and updating rules as website structure changes. The file should be accessible at domain.com/robots.txt and properly formatted to ensure crawler compliance.