Learn the importance of the correct placement of the robots.txt file for search engine bots to access it. Discover where to upload the robots.txt file, how to check its location, and why its placement is critical for SEO.

If you want to control how search engines crawl and index your website, correctly placing the robots.txt file is crucial. This small text file tells search engine crawlers which pages to access and which to ignore. However, for it to work, it must be in the right location. In this guide, we’ll explain the importance of the robots.txt file location and provide step-by-step instructions on where and how to place it.

What Is the Robots.txt File?

Robots.txt is a simple text file used by website owners to instruct search engine crawlers, or bots, on how to interact with their site. It contains specific rules that direct these bots on which parts of the website they are allowed to crawl and index. A properly placed robots.txt file helps manage a website’s crawl budget, avoid indexing unnecessary pages, and prevent duplicate content issues.

Why Is Robots.txt File Location Important?

For the robots.txt file to be effective, it must be located in the root directory of your website. This is the only place where search engine bots, like Googlebot or Bingbot, will look for it. If the file is stored in any other directory, the bots won’t see it, and the rules won’t apply.

For example, if your website is https://example.com, the robots.txt file should be placed at https://example.com/robots.txt.

How to Find or Place the Robots.txt File

Step 1: Create Your Robots.txt File

You can use an online robots.txt builder tool to easily create the file. Simply enter the rules you want, such as which directories to block or allow, and the tool will generate the robots.txt file for you.

Step 2: Access Your Website’s Root Directory

The root directory is the topmost folder of your website where important files like the index.html or wp-config.php (in WordPress) are stored. You can access it via:

• FTP (File Transfer Protocol): Using an FTP client like FileZilla, connect to your website server and navigate to the root directory.
• Web Hosting Control Panel: If your hosting provider offers a control panel (like cPanel), you can use the File Manager to find the root directory.

Step 3: Upload Robots.txt to Root Directory

Once you’ve created the file, upload it to the root directory. The file path should be:

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Copy codehttps://example.com/robots.txt

Note: If your website is hosted in a subdirectory (e.g., https://example.com/subsite/), the robots.txt file must still be placed in the main root directory (https://example.com/robots.txt).

How to Verify Your Robots.txt File Location

Once the file is uploaded, it's important to verify that it’s correctly placed and readable by search engines. Here are two ways to check:

1. Direct URL Access

Open a browser and enter your website's robots.txt URL. For example:

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Copy codehttps://example.com/robots.txt

If the file is correctly placed, it will display the rules you’ve set.

2. Google Search Console

• Go to Google Search Console.
• Navigate to the Crawl section and choose robots.txt Tester.
• Enter your website URL and test the file to ensure Google can read it.

Common Mistakes in Robots.txt File Location

Even minor mistakes in the location of the robots.txt file can prevent it from working. Here are some common issues to avoid:

• Wrong Directory Placement: The file must be in the main root directory (https://example.com/robots.txt). Placing it in subdirectories will make it invisible to search engines.
• File Naming Issues: Ensure the file is named exactly as robots.txt. The file is case-sensitive, so "Robots.txt" or "robots.TXT" will not work.
• Multiple Robots.txt Files: Avoid creating more than one robots.txt file. Only the file located at https://example.com/robots.txt will be considered by search engines.

Benefits of Correct Robots.txt File Location

Placing the robots.txt file in the correct location provides several advantages:

• Full Control Over Crawling: You can prevent bots from crawling specific pages or directories that you don’t want to be indexed, such as private areas or pages with duplicate content.
• Efficient Use of Crawl Budget: Search engine bots have a limited "crawl budget" for every site. By controlling their behavior with a correctly placed robots.txt file, you ensure they focus on your most valuable content.
• Faster Indexing of Priority Pages: Including your sitemap in the robots.txt file helps search engines locate your important pages quickly, leading to faster indexing.

Conclusion

Proper placement of your robots.txt file is crucial for ensuring search engines follow your crawling and indexing rules. Remember, the file must be in the root directory of your website (https://example.com/robots.txt) for it to be effective. If you need help creating or modifying the file, consider using the online robots.txt builder tool to generate the file quickly and easily. Once it's correctly placed, you’ll have better control over how search engines interact with your site, improving your SEO performance.