Free Robots.txt Checker
Validate your robots.txt file and ensure search engines can properly crawl your website. Check for syntax errors, blocked resources, and get recommendations to improve crawler access.
What We Check
User-Agent Directives
We analyze rules for different crawlers including Googlebot, Bingbot, and wildcard (*) configurations.
Blocked Resources
We detect if you're accidentally blocking important resources like CSS, JS, or your entire site.
Sitemap Declarations
We verify if your sitemap URLs are properly declared in robots.txt for better crawl discovery.
Syntax Validation
We check for common syntax errors, unknown directives, and formatting issues that could confuse crawlers.
Understanding Robots.txt
The robots.txt file is a simple text file placed at the root of your website that tells search engine crawlers which pages or sections they can or cannot access. While it's a powerful tool for controlling crawler behavior, misconfiguration can accidentally block important pages from being indexed.
Common Robots.txt Issues
- Blocking entire site - Using "Disallow: /" blocks all crawlers from accessing any page
- Blocking CSS/JS files - Prevents search engines from properly rendering and understanding your pages
- Missing sitemap declaration - Search engines rely on sitemaps to discover your pages faster
- Syntax errors - Typos or incorrect formatting can invalidate your entire robots.txt file
- Conflicting rules - Multiple rules for the same path can cause unexpected behavior
From Crawling to Indexing
A properly configured robots.txt ensures search engines can crawl your site, but crawling is just the first step. Even with perfect crawler access, Google can take weeks to actually index your pages. IndexMachine solves this by proactively submitting your pages to search engines, turning weeks of waiting into hours.