What is robots.txt?
The robots.txt file is a simple text file placed in the root directory of your website. It gives instructions to web robots (crawlers) about which pages they can or cannot process.
Why is it important for SEO?
Without a robots.txt file, search engines will crawl everything they find. This might include duplicate content, admin pages, or temporary files, which can dilute your website's SEO ranking. A well-configured file helps you:
- Prevent crawling of private content (e.g., login pages).
- Prevent server overload by using Crawl-Delay.
- Help Google index your site faster by pointing to your Sitemap.