How to Generate Robots.txt File for Blogger for Free
Want to create a robots.txt file for your Blogger website? A robots.txt file provides instructions for web crawlers and helps communicate which parts of a website can or cannot be crawled.
In this complete guide, you will learn what a robots.txt file is, what it is used for, how it works, how to find it, whether it is safe, how important it is for SEO, and how to generate and add a custom robots.txt file in Blogger for free.
- What Is a Robots.txt File?
- What Is Robots.txt Used For?
- How Does Robots.txt Work?
- How Important Is Robots.txt for SEO?
- How Do I Find Robots.txt?
- Is Robots.txt Safe?
- Do Hackers Use Robots.txt?
- Is It Illegal to Access Robots.txt?
- Robots.txt File Format
- Generate Robots.txt File for Blogger
- How to Add Custom Robots.txt in Blogger
- Robots.txt Example
- Understanding Robots.txt Directives
- Benefits of Robots.txt
- Important Things to Know
- Video Tutorial
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Conclusion
What Is a Robots.txt File?
The robots exclusion standard, also known as the robots exclusion protocol or simply robots.txt, is used by websites to communicate with web crawlers and other web robots.
A robots.txt file provides instructions about which areas of a website should or should not be processed or scanned by supported web crawlers.
In simple words, a robots.txt file tells search engine crawlers which URLs or areas of a website they are allowed to access according to the rules defined in the file.
WEBSITE │ ▼ ROBOTS.TXT FILE │ ▼ WEB CRAWLER │ ▼ READ ROBOTS RULES │ ├───────────────┐ ▼ ▼ ALLOWED DISALLOWED CONTENT CONTENT
What Is Robots.txt Used For?
A robots.txt file is mainly used to provide crawling instructions to supported web crawlers and search engine bots.
✓ Provides instructions for web crawlers
✓ Defines allowed website areas
✓ Defines disallowed website areas
✓ Helps manage crawler access rules
✓ Can include sitemap information
✓ Helps communicate website crawling preferences
✓ Can be customized in supported website platforms
How Does Robots.txt Work?
When a supported web crawler visits a website, it can check the robots.txt file to understand the crawling rules defined by the website owner.
SEARCH ENGINE BOT
│
▼
VISITS WEBSITE
│
▼
CHECKS ROBOTS.TXT
│
▼
READS CRAWLING RULES
│
├──────────────┐
▼ ▼
ALLOW DISALLOW
│ │
▼ ▼
ACCESS URL AVOID URL
The rules can contain instructions for specific crawlers or for multiple crawlers using wildcard directives.
How Important Is Robots.txt for SEO?
Robots.txt can be useful for communicating crawler instructions and managing how supported search engine crawlers access certain website areas.
| SEO-Related Use | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Crawler Instructions | Provides crawling rules for supported bots. |
| URL Access Management | Helps define areas that should be allowed or disallowed. |
| Sitemap Reference | Can include the location of a website sitemap. |
| Crawler Organization | Provides a central file containing crawling preferences. |
How Do I Find Robots.txt?
A robots.txt file is normally accessed by adding /robots.txt to the end of a website domain.
https://yourwebsite.com/robots.txt
For a Blogger website, the format can look similar to:
https://yourblog.blogspot.com/robots.txt
1 Open Your Web Browser
Open Google Chrome or any other web browser.
2 Open Your Website Address
Copy or type your website domain into the browser address bar.
3 Add /robots.txt
Add the following path to the end of your website address:
/robots.txt
4 Press Enter
Open the completed URL and check whether the robots.txt file is displayed.
Is Robots.txt Safe?
A robots.txt file is a publicly accessible website file used to communicate instructions to web crawlers.
However, it should not be treated as a security feature because anyone may be able to view the file and see the paths listed inside it.
Do not place sensitive URLs or confidential information in robots.txt expecting them to remain private.
Do Hackers Use Robots.txt?
Because robots.txt files can be publicly accessible, anyone can potentially view them, including security researchers, developers, website visitors and malicious actors.
For this reason, you should never rely on robots.txt to hide sensitive content or secure private website areas.
Is It Illegal to Access Robots.txt?
Robots.txt files are generally intended to be publicly accessible so that web crawlers can retrieve and read their instructions.
Accessing a publicly available robots.txt file is different from accessing restricted systems or attempting to bypass website security.
Robots.txt File Format
A robots.txt file can contain directives such as User-agent, Allow, Disallow and Sitemap.
| Directive | Purpose |
|---|---|
| User-agent | Specifies the crawler that the rules apply to. |
| Allow | Indicates an allowed path for supported crawlers. |
| Disallow | Indicates a path that should not be crawled by supported crawlers. |
| Sitemap | Provides the location of a website sitemap. |
Generate Robots.txt File for Blogger for Free
You can use a basic robots.txt format for a Blogger website and replace the example sitemap address with your own website sitemap URL.
User-agent: Mediapartners-Google Disallow: User-agent: * Allow: /search Allow: / Sitemap: https://yourblog.blogspot.com/sitemap.xml
Replace:
yourblog.blogspot.com
with your own Blogger website address.
If your Blogger website is:
https://example.blogspot.com
then your sitemap line can look like:
Sitemap: https://example.blogspot.com/sitemap.xml
How to Add Custom Robots.txt in Blogger
Follow these steps to add a custom robots.txt file through the Blogger settings area.
1 Copy the Robots.txt Format
Copy the robots.txt code that you want to use for your Blogger website.
2 Open Blogger Dashboard
Open your Blogger dashboard and select the correct blog.
3 Open Settings
Go to the Settings section in your Blogger dashboard.
4 Find Crawlers and Indexing
Scroll through the settings and look for the Crawlers and indexing section.
5 Enable Custom Robots.txt
Enable the option for using a custom robots.txt file if it is available in your Blogger settings.
6 Paste the Robots.txt Code
Paste your custom robots.txt code into the available field.
7 Replace the Sitemap URL
Replace the example sitemap URL with your own website sitemap URL.
https://yourblog.blogspot.com/sitemap.xml
8 Save the Changes
Save your Blogger settings after checking the robots.txt code carefully.
COPY ROBOTS.TXT CODE
│
▼
OPEN BLOGGER DASHBOARD
│
▼
SETTINGS
│
▼
CRAWLERS & INDEXING
│
▼
ENABLE CUSTOM ROBOTS.TXT
│
▼
PASTE THE CODE
│
▼
REPLACE SITEMAP URL
│
▼
SAVE
Robots.txt Example
Here is a simple example format for a Blogger website:
User-agent: Mediapartners-Google Disallow: User-agent: * Allow: /search Allow: / Sitemap: https://yourblog.blogspot.com/sitemap.xml
Remember to replace the example website address with your own domain.
Understanding Robots.txt Directives
User-agent
The User-agent directive identifies the crawler or group of crawlers that the following rules apply to.
User-agent: *
The asterisk is commonly used as a wildcard representing multiple crawlers.
Allow
The Allow directive can be used to indicate paths that supported crawlers are allowed to access.
Allow: /
Disallow
The Disallow directive can be used to indicate paths that supported crawlers should avoid crawling.
Disallow: /example-path/
Sitemap
The Sitemap directive can provide the location of your website sitemap.
Sitemap: https://yourwebsite.com/sitemap.xml
Benefits of Using Robots.txt
✓ Provides instructions to supported web crawlers
✓ Helps manage crawler access preferences
✓ Can identify website areas for crawling rules
✓ Can include sitemap information
✓ Useful for website crawl management
✓ Supported by major search engine crawlers
✓ Easy to access through a website URL
Important Things to Know About Robots.txt
- Robots.txt is not a security tool.
- Do not place private information inside the file.
- Always check your rules before saving them.
- Incorrect rules can affect crawler access.
- Test your robots.txt file after publishing changes.
- Use the correct sitemap URL.
- Review your Blogger crawler settings carefully.
Video Tutorial
Watch the video tutorial below for a visual demonstration of generating and adding a robots.txt file for Blogger.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a robots.txt file?
A robots.txt file is used by websites to provide crawling instructions to supported web crawlers and web robots.
What is robots.txt used for?
It is used to communicate which website paths or areas should be allowed or disallowed for supported web crawlers.
How do I find robots.txt?
Add /robots.txt to the end of your website domain.
https://yourwebsite.com/robots.txt
Is robots.txt safe?
Robots.txt can be publicly accessible and should not be used to store or hide sensitive information.
Do hackers use robots.txt?
Because robots.txt files can be publicly accessible, anyone may potentially view the file. Therefore, it should not be used as a method for hiding private website information.
Is it illegal to access robots.txt?
Robots.txt files are generally intended to be publicly accessible so supported web crawlers can read their instructions.
How important is robots.txt for SEO?
Robots.txt can be useful for communicating crawler instructions and managing crawler access preferences, but it is not a replacement for other SEO practices.
What does a robots.txt example look like?
A basic file can include directives such as User-agent, Allow, Disallow and Sitemap.
How can I create robots.txt for Blogger?
Create or copy a robots.txt format, open your Blogger dashboard, go to Settings, find Crawlers and indexing, enable custom robots.txt, paste your code and save the changes.
What is the robots.txt sitemap line?
The sitemap directive can point web crawlers to your sitemap location.
Sitemap: https://yourwebsite.com/sitemap.xml
Conclusion
Creating a robots.txt file for Blogger can help you provide crawling instructions for supported web crawlers and search engine bots.
You can generate a custom robots.txt file, add your own sitemap URL and paste the code into the Crawlers and indexing section of your Blogger settings.
User-agent: Mediapartners-Google Disallow: User-agent: * Allow: /search Allow: / Sitemap: https://yourblog.blogspot.com/sitemap.xml
Next step: Replace the example blog URL with your own Blogger website address, review the robots.txt rules carefully and then add the custom code through your Blogger settings.
Note: Robots.txt rules should be configured carefully. Always test your website after making changes and do not use robots.txt as a method for protecting private or sensitive content.