How to change Robots Txt in WordPress

Learn how to update your robots.txt file in WordPress to control how search engines crawl & index your site. Includes example.

Changing Robots.txt in WordPress

WordPress is a great platform for creating content driven websites, and it's important to configure the site correctly to ensure that your content is properly indexed by search engines. One of the key configuration files is the robots.txt file, which tells search engines which pages they can and cannot access. This article will explain how to modify the robots.txt file in WordPress.

Why Would I Want to Change the Robots.txt File?

The robots.txt file is an important part of your website's SEO strategy. It tells search engines which pages they can and cannot access. This can be used to prevent search engines from indexing pages that you don't want them to, like pages with sensitive information. It can also be used to prevent search engines from indexing low-value pages, like a tag archive page or an author archive page. By properly configuring the robots.txt file, you can ensure that the search engines are only indexing the most important pages on your website.

How to Change the Robots.txt File in WordPress

The easiest way to change the robots.txt file in WordPress is to use a plugin. There are a number of plugins available that allow you to easily modify the robots.txt file. We recommend using the Yoast SEO plugin, as it allows you to easily modify the robots.txt file without having to manually edit the file.

To use the Yoast SEO plugin to modify the robots.txt file, first install and activate the plugin. Once the plugin is activated, navigate to SEO > Tools. From the Tools page, select the File Editor tab. This will open the robots.txt editor, where you can make changes to the robots.txt file. Once you have made your changes, click the Save Changes button to save your changes.

If you don't want to use a plugin to modify the robots.txt file, you can also manually edit the file. To do this, you'll need to use an FTP client to connect to your server and edit the robots.txt file directly. This is slightly more complicated and requires more technical knowledge, but it can be done.

Conclusion

Changing the robots.txt file in WordPress is a simple but important task. It's important to configure the robots.txt file correctly to ensure that your content is properly indexed by search engines. The easiest way to do this is to use a plugin, such as the Yoast SEO plugin. Alternatively, you can manually edit the robots.txt file using an FTP client.