A properly configured robots.txt file and an XML sitemap are essential for the discoverability of your website in search engines. At Theory7, we ensure your website is optimally indexed, but the right configuration of these files makes a big difference.

What does the robots.txt file do?

The robots.txt file tells search engines which pages they may or may not crawl. This file is always located in the root of your website (for example, yourdomain.com/robots.txt) and is consulted by crawlers first before they index your site. Understanding its importance is crucial for maintaining your site's visibility.

Basic syntax of robots.txt

The syntax is simple but powerful:

User-agent: *
Disallow: /private/
Allow: /public/
Sitemap: https://yourdomain.com/sitemap.xml

Important elements:

  • User-agent: Specifies which crawler follows the rules (e.g., * means all crawlers).
  • Allow: Pages that may be crawled.
  • Disallow: Pages that may not be crawled.
  • Sitemap: Reference to your XML sitemap.

Common mistakes with robots.txt

One of the most common mistakes is accidentally blocking your entire website:

User-agent: *
Disallow: /

This prevents search engines from indexing your site. Always check your robots.txt after creating it. Through DirectAdmin, you can easily view and edit the file via the file manager.

Other common mistakes include:

  • Blocking CSS and JavaScript files (Google needs these for rendering).
  • Blocking important images that could affect your site's appearance in search results.
  • Forgetting to add the sitemap reference, which can hinder search engines from finding your sitemap.

Generating an XML sitemap

An XML sitemap is a list of all pages on your website that you want indexed. This helps search engines efficiently discover your content. Having a well-structured sitemap can significantly improve your site's SEO performance.

Generating a sitemap in WordPress

The easiest way to generate a sitemap is with an SEO plugin like Yoast. After installation, a sitemap is automatically created at yourdomain.com/sitemap_index.xml.

Manual steps:

  1. Install Yoast SEO via Plugins > Add New.
  2. Go to Yoast SEO > Settings > XML Sitemaps.
  3. Make sure the option is enabled.
  4. Your sitemap is available at /sitemap_index.xml.

Sitemap for static websites

For websites without a CMS, you can use online tools or create a sitemap manually. Tools like XML-sitemaps.com can generate a sitemap for you. Alternatively, you can create a simple XML file that lists your URLs:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<urlset xmlns="http://www.sitemaps.org/schemas/sitemap-image/1.1">
    <url>
        <loc>https://yourdomain.com/page1</loc>
        <lastmod>2023-10-01</lastmod>
        <changefreq>monthly</changefreq>
        <priority>1.0</priority>
    </url>
    <url>
        <loc>https://yourdomain.com/page2</loc>
        <lastmod>2023-10-01</lastmod>
        <changefreq>monthly</changefreq>
        <priority>0.8</priority>
    </url>
</urlset>

Submitting sitemap to Google

After creating your sitemap, you need to submit it to Google Search Console:

  1. Go to Google Search Console and select your website.
  2. Click on Sitemaps in the left menu.
  3. Enter the URL of your sitemap (for example, sitemap.xml or sitemap_index.xml).
  4. Click Submit.

Google will process your sitemap, and you can track the status in the dashboard. It may take several days before all pages are indexed, so be patient.

Keeping sitemap up to date

Make sure your sitemap is automatically updated when you add new content. WordPress plugins do this automatically. For manual sitemaps, you need to update them after each change. Regularly check your sitemap to ensure it reflects your current website structure.

Checking if everything works

Test your configuration:

  1. Robots.txt tester: Use the robots.txt tester in Google Search Console to check if your file is correctly configured.
  2. Validate sitemap: Submit your sitemap and check for errors in Google Search Console.
  3. Indexing status: Monitor via the coverage report in Search Console to see how many pages are indexed.

With a well-configured robots.txt file and an up-to-date sitemap, you help search engines efficiently crawl and index your website. This contributes to better SEO performance of your website.

Want to learn more about optimizing your website for search engines? Check out our extensive hosting options at Theory7 that come standard with fast servers and optimal configurations.