Robots.txt Generator - Create Robots.txt File Instantly

Free Robots.txt Generator

Create optimized robots.txt files for your website instantly. Control how search engines crawl and index your site with proper robots exclusion protocol directives.

Robots.txt Generator

Basic Settings

Search Engine Bots

Restricted Directories & Files

The path is relative to root and must contain a trailing slash "/"
Add custom user-agent specific rules here

Your Generated Robots.txt File

# Generated by Free Robots.txt Generator # https://example.com/robots-txt-generator/ User-agent: * Disallow: /admin/ Disallow: /cgi-bin/ Sitemap: https://example.com/sitemap.xml

Robots.txt Examples

Basic Example - Allow All:

User-agent: * Allow: / Sitemap: https://www.example.com/sitemap.xml

Advanced Example - Restrict Specific Areas:

User-agent: * Allow: / Disallow: /admin/ Disallow: /cgi-bin/ Disallow: /private/ Disallow: /tmp/ # Google Image Bot User-agent: Googlebot-Image Allow: /public/images/ Disallow: /private/images/ # Crawl delay for all bots Crawl-delay: 5 Sitemap: https://www.example.com/sitemap.xml Sitemap: https://www.example.com/image-sitemap.xml

E-commerce Site Example:

User-agent: * Allow: / Disallow: /checkout/ Disallow: /cart/ Disallow: /account/ Disallow: /admin/ Disallow: /private/ # Allow product pages and categories Allow: /products/ Allow: /categories/ # Special rules for search engine bots User-agent: Googlebot Allow: /reviews/ Crawl-delay: 2 User-agent: Bingbot Crawl-delay: 3 Sitemap: https://www.example.com/sitemap.xml Sitemap: https://www.example.com/product-sitemap.xml

Free Robots.txt Generator - Control Search Engine Crawling

Our free Robots.txt Generator helps you create perfectly optimized robots.txt files for your website in seconds. The robots.txt file is a critical component of SEO that tells search engine crawlers which pages or sections of your website should not be accessed or indexed. With this tool, you can easily configure crawling rules for different search engine bots without any technical knowledge required.

How to Use This Robots.txt Generator (Step-by-Step):

  • Configure Basic Settings: Set default robot access (allowed or disallowed) and crawl delay preferences.
  • Select Search Engines: Choose which search engine bots should follow your rules (Google, Bing, Yahoo, etc.).
  • Define Restricted Areas: Add directories and files you want to block from search engine crawling.
  • Add Sitemap Location: Specify your sitemap URL to help search engines discover your content.
  • Generate & Download: Click "Generate Robots.txt" and then copy or download the file to your website's root directory.

Why Robots.txt Files Are Important for SEO:

Robots.txt files play a vital role in search engine optimization by controlling how search engine crawlers access your website. They help you:

  • Prevent Indexing of Private Areas: Keep admin pages, temporary files, and private directories out of search results
  • Conserve Crawl Budget: Direct search engines to focus on important pages rather than wasting resources on irrelevant content
  • Prevent Duplicate Content: Block search engines from indexing multiple versions of the same page
  • Improve Site Performance: Reduce server load by controlling crawl frequency with crawl-delay directives
  • Enhance Security: Hide sensitive directories and files from public search results

Best Practices for Robots.txt Files:

  • File Location: Always place robots.txt in your website's root directory (example.com/robots.txt)
  • Syntax Accuracy: Use correct syntax with proper spacing and line breaks
  • Specificity: Be specific about which user-agents your rules apply to
  • Testing: Always test your robots.txt file using Google Search Console
  • Regular Updates: Review and update your robots.txt file as your website structure changes
  • Sitemap Inclusion: Always include your sitemap URL to help search engines discover content

Frequently Asked Questions:

Can robots.txt completely block search engines from indexing my site?
No, robots.txt is a request, not a enforcement. Malicious bots may ignore it. For complete blocking, use password protection or noindex meta tags.

What's the difference between Disallow and Noindex?
Disallow prevents crawling, while Noindex prevents indexing. A page can be crawled but not indexed, or vice versa.

How long does it take for robots.txt changes to take effect?
It depends on when search engines recrawl your site. Google typically recrawls robots.txt within a few days.

Can I have multiple sitemaps in my robots.txt file?
Yes, you can include multiple sitemap directives, each on a separate line.

Is robots.txt case-sensitive?
Yes, paths in robots.txt are case-sensitive. "/Admin/" and "/admin/" would be treated as different directories.

Common Robots.txt Mistakes to Avoid:

  • Blocking CSS/JS Files: Preventing search engines from accessing resources needed to render your pages properly
  • Incorrect Syntax: Using wrong spacing, missing colons, or improper line breaks
  • Over-blocking: Accidentally blocking important content from search engines</li>
  • No Sitemap Reference: Forgetting to include your sitemap location
  • Outdated Rules: Keeping old rules that no longer apply to your current site structure

Advanced Robots.txt Directives:

Beyond basic Allow and Disallow directives, you can use advanced features like:

  • Crawl-delay: Specify how many seconds crawlers should wait between requests
  • User-agent Specific Rules: Create different rules for different search engine bots
  • Wildcard Patterns: Use * to match any sequence of characters in paths
  • Comment Lines: Add comments starting with # for documentation
  • Multiple Sitemaps: Include references to multiple sitemap files