Technical SEO
Free Robots Txt Tester
Use our free robots txt tester to test whether your site has a working robots.txt file. Enter any web address below and get your result in seconds, with plain-English fixes.
Free. You see the verdict at once; add your name and email to read the full result. We only read what is public on the page.
What this robots txt tester checks
Fetches /robots.txt and checks that it exists, is plain text, does not block the whole site and points to your sitemap.
The robots txt tester requests /robots.txt, confirms it returns a 200 status, reads the rules, lists any Sitemap lines and warns when it blocks the whole site, blocks your CSS or scripts, or contains syntax it cannot read.
Why use a robots txt tester
Robots.txt tells search engines which parts of your site to skip. A mistake here, such as Disallow: /, can keep your whole site out of Google.
Site owners after a relaunch, a new developer or a staging-to-live move. A forgotten Disallow: / has quietly removed many sites from Google. Run the robots txt tester after every launch.
How to use the robots txt tester
- Paste the full address of the page you want to test into the box at the top of this page. Use the exact page you care about, such as your home page or a service page, because each page can give a different robots txt tester result.
- Press the button and wait a few seconds. The tool fetches the page the way a visitor and a search engine would, then runs its checks. Nothing is installed, and you only need to enter your name and email to read the full result.
- Read the verdict and the plain-English notes, make the changes listed under the fixes, then run the test again to confirm the problem is gone. Keep a note of the date and the result so you can show progress.
How to read your robots txt tester results
- Pass means the file loads and does not block important content.
- Warning means missing sitemap line or a broad Disallow.
- Fail means no file, a server error or Disallow: / for all robots.
How to fix problems the robots txt tester finds
- Create /robots.txt as a plain-text file.
- Never leave Disallow: / on a live site.
- Add a Sitemap: line with your sitemap address.
Common mistakes
- Copying a staging file that blocks everything onto the live site.
- Blocking /wp-content/ or CSS, which stops Google rendering the page.
- Using robots.txt to hide private pages. Use authentication instead.
Want everything fixed in one go? Our free website grader checks 40+ things at once, and you can ask for a free quote if you would rather have a person do it.
Robots txt tester for Cayman Islands websites
A new .ky site launched by an agency is the classic case: the test site's block-all file goes live. Verify with the robots txt tester and point your Sitemap line at the file you submit in Search Console.
Ranking in the Cayman Islands is a local contest: Google treats a .ky domain as aimed at the territory, and it rewards pages that name the places people search for, such as George Town, Grand Cayman, West Bay and Seven Mile Beach. After you act on your robots txt tester result, work through our SEO guides for Cayman businesses, read how the WebGuru features fit together, or see the pricing for the full report.
Cayman Islands local SEO checklist
- Name the place in your headings and first paragraph: George Town, Grand Cayman, West Bay, Cayman Brac or Little Cayman, whichever you serve.
- Keep your business name, address and phone number identical on your website, Google Business Profile, Facebook page and local directories.
- Use a .ky domain where you can. Google treats country-code domains as a signal that your audience is in that country.
- Add a Google Business Profile, ask happy customers for reviews and answer every review.
- Write for local questions, such as hurricane preparation, work permits or ferry times, in the words your customers would use.
Further reading
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a robots.txt file?
It is optional, but recommended. Without one, crawlers assume everything is allowed.
Can robots.txt hide private pages?
No. It is a request, not security, and listing paths can even reveal them. Use a login or noindex.
Does robots.txt remove a page from Google?
No. It stops crawling, not indexing. Use a noindex tag to keep a page out of results.
Where must robots.txt live?
At the root of the host, for example https://example.ky/robots.txt.
Related free SEO tools
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- Indexed pages checker
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- Directory listing checker
Test whether your server lists the files inside folders.
More technical seo tools: doctype checker, html language checker, html code checker.