In the iconic 1986 film "Short Circuit", a charming robot named 'Number 5' is characterized by an insatiable curiosity and a relentless pursuit of knowledge. This robot's most endearing trait is its enthusiastic cry of "Input! Input!" whenever it encounters something intriguing. This concept of data collection and indexing is not just a cinematic fantasy, but a reality in the world of search engines. However, unlike Number 5, these digital robots, often referred to as spiders or crawlers, need clear guidelines to ensure they gather and index data effectively and responsibly.
Search engine robots are software programs designed to collect and index data. Their primary function is to determine the relevance of your website to specific search terms. However, these robots are not discerning. Without clear instructions, they will perceive every file on your website as "Input!" and index it. While this may seem beneficial at first glance, it can lead to several issues if not managed properly.
Unrestricted indexing can have several significant drawbacks:
The key to managing these issues lies in the use of a robot exclusion file on your web server. These files, typically named "robots.txt", are ASCII text files located in the root directory of web servers. They are used to set access permissions and control the actions of robots or spiders.
Most major US and international search engines use spiders that look for a robots.txt file when visiting a website. There is an industry standard for these files, and they must be correctly formatted and placed in the correct location on the web server to function as intended. Once uploaded to your server, the robots.txt file is used to inform individual spiders about which parts of a website should not be visited or made public on the internet.
Used in conjunction with search engine optimization tools and/or services, a robots.txt file can significantly improve your site's chances of achieving a high-ranking listing on major search engines by directing individual spiders to specific content.
Despite being a small ASCII text file, a robots.txt file allows for a significant degree of fine-tuning in your search engine optimization strategy. Used wisely, it can greatly enhance your understanding and control of visiting search engine robots. This is particularly useful for website owners who want to deliver content optimized for a specific search engine or who have paid for an accelerated search engine listing service.
Just as Robot Number 5 in "Short Circuit" transformed data into useful information, website owners can use the data generated by the interaction between robots.txt, visiting spiders, and their web logs to gain a significant competitive advantage.
