Understanding the robots.txt files can help you with your web pages and indexing. If you have trouble creating your file for the site there are tools designed to make it easier for you. The robots.txt file is a command centre for you to create links, block spiders from indexing pages and much more. With Google you can use a Webmaster Central programme which helps you build the robots.txt file. It can be downloaded to the desktop without problems. There are also features to help you upload it once it has been created.
Knowing how to create the file is just one thing that you need to know about robots.txt files. There are numerous features in the robots.txt file that might confuse you. These features are designed to make the site creation easier, but there are only two things that are of most import.
The first is how to block all spiders from directories you do not want indexed. The other is how to block dynamic URLs so that you do not have duplicate content issues. The point we want to make is that, while there are more tools in the robots.txt file they are rarely needed yet handy to know. In search engine optimisation you want to use the robots.txt file.
It is a tool like other SEO tools which helps you control the site. We have one more piece of information to share when it comes to the robots.txt file. You have the option of creating a block called the noindex or nofollow. This helps keep pages out of the index even when you have previously blocked them. Sometimes search engines find the pages another way and then list them. In the no index and no follow creation you are going to block the meta tags. There is very little reason for blocking meta tags, and it could hurt your rankings if you have a no follow meta tag over the no index meta tag.
Basically, if you must block a meta tag ensure you use the no index option so that the crawlers will go through your site and still link to the pages you have. The page will not show up in the search results, but the link will appear. This still allows others to find it, but you avoid issues with duplicate content or incorrect page listings. Keep these tips in mind to help you create a better SEO site.