P0Issue #14
Response code Internal blocked by robots.txt
❓ What does it mean?
What does it mean?
A robots.txt file tells search engine crawlers which parts of a site they are not allowed to crawl.
When an important internal page (like product, category, or blog page) is blocked by robots.txt:
Search engines cannot crawl the page.
If the page has external or internal links pointing to it, Google might see the URL but won’t understand the content.
This prevents proper indexing and ranking.
🚨 Why is it important for SEO?
Why is it important for SEO?
Lost Rankings → Blocked pages won’t appear in search results.
Wasted Crawl Budget → Search engines may attempt crawling blocked sections without success.
Link Equity Loss → Any backlinks to blocked pages don’t pass full SEO value.
User Experience Impact → Visitors may not find important content through search.
✅ How to Fix It
✅ How to Fix It
Audit robots.txt file → Identify which sections are blocked.
Unblock important pages (products, blogs, categories) by removing or adjusting disallow rules.
Use “noindex” instead of blocking if you want a page crawled but not indexed.
Keep blocking only non-SEO pages like:
/admin/
/checkout/
/cart/
/internal-search/
Test with Google Search Console → “Robots.txt Tester” to confirm pages are crawlable.
❌ Bad Example
📌 Example
❌ Bad (Blocking Important Page):
User-agent: *
Disallow: /products/
All product pages are blocked from crawling.
Google cannot index or rank them.
✅ Good Example
✅ Good (Allowing Important Pages, Blocking Only Utility Pages):
User-agent: *
Disallow: /cart/
Disallow: /checkout/
Allow: /products/
Product pages are crawlable and indexable.
Utility pages remain blocked.
⚡ Result
⚡ Result
Important internal pages are visible in search results.
Crawl budget is focused on valuable pages.
Improved rankings, visibility, and organic traffic.
❓ Frequently Asked Questions
What does it mean when an internal page is blocked by robots.txt?
It means that the robots.txt file is instructing search engine crawlers not to access certain internal pages, preventing them from being crawled and indexed.
How does blocking important pages in robots.txt affect SEO?
It leads to lost rankings, wasted crawl budget, link equity loss, and a negative impact on user experience.
How can I fix issues caused by robots.txt blocking important pages?
You can fix them by auditing the robots.txt file, unblocking important pages, using noindex for pages you want crawled but not indexed, and testing with Google Search Console.
When should I block pages using robots.txt?
You should block non-SEO pages like admin sections, checkout pages, cart pages, and internal search results.