Official statement
A robots.txt file is not an appropriate or effective method for blocking sensitive or confidential content. It does not prevent your server from delivering those pages to a browser that requests them. Furthermore, a curious user can examine the directories listed in the robots.txt file and guess the URL of the content you’d prefer to keep hidden.
Other statements from this video 10 ▾
- □ How do Google's automated crawlers shape your SEO strategy?
- □ How can the robots.txt file help you optimize your site's crawl budget?
- □ Why Does Google Treat Social Media Links as Nofollow?
- □ How is Mobile-First Indexing Revolutionizing SEO?
- □ How Do Titles and Meta Descriptions Really Impact SEO Traffic?
- □ Is it true that Google can change site titles in the SERPs?
- □ Is it true that creating valuable content is the most powerful SEO factor?
- □ How does writing for users enhance your SEO?
- □ Should You Stop Chasing Every Google Algorithm Update?
- □ Does the age of a domain truly impact SEO?
Official statement from
(5 years ago)
⚠ A more recent statement exists on this topic
Why are URLs case-sensitive, and why does it matter for SEO?
View statement →
TL;DR
A robots.txt file is not a reliable solution for hiding sensitive content. It only blocks bots, but not direct access via URL. Relying on robots.txt for security is like playing with fire.
❓ Frequently Asked Questions
Robots.txt peut-il protéger mon site contre le scraping ?
Non, robots.txt n'empêche pas le scraping. Les bots malveillants ignorent souvent le fichier.
Peut-on sécuriser les API avec robots.txt ?
Pas du tout. Pour les API, pensez aux jetons d'authentification et aux contrôles d'accès stricts.
Pourquoi mon contenu apparaît-il toujours dans les résultats de recherche alors qu'il est bloqué par robots.txt ?
Robots.txt empêche l'indexation, mais si l'URL est découverte ailleurs, elle peut toujours apparaître dans les SERP comme un lien sans description.
🎥 From the same video 10
Other SEO insights extracted from this same Google Search Central video · published on 09/09/2021
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