Learn how Blogger robots.txt works, configure custom rules, control Google crawling, protect important pages, and fix common robots.txt errors.

Blogger Robots.txt Guide: Default Settings, Custom Rules, and Common Errors

Have you ever wondered why some Blogger posts appear in Google Search while others remain undiscovered? One technical setting that can influence how search engines access your blog is the robots.txt file.

When you create a blog on Blogger, Google automatically generates a robots.txt file. This file provides instructions to search-engine crawlers about which URLs they can access and which URLs they should avoid crawling.

Blogger also provides an option to create a custom robots.txt file. However, changing these settings without understanding their purpose can create crawling problems and affect your blog’s search visibility.

For beginners, the safest approach is usually to understand the default configuration before making custom changes.

In this guide, you will learn how Blogger robots.txt works, how to check the default settings, how to configure custom rules, how to include your sitemap, and how to troubleshoot common errors.

1. What Is a Robots.txt File?

A robots.txt file is a plain-text file that provides instructions to search-engine crawlers about which parts of a website they are allowed or not allowed to access.

It is part of the Robots Exclusion Protocol (REP), a standard used by websites to communicate crawling preferences to automated bots.

For example, a website might use robots.txt to prevent search engines from crawling internal search-result URLs while allowing them to access blog posts and other important pages.

A typical robots.txt file may contain instructions like:

User-agent: *

Disallow: /search

Allow: /

Sitemap: https://www.example.com/sitemap.xml

Here is what each instruction means:

• User-agent: Identifies the crawler to which the instructions apply.
• Disallow: Tells the specified crawler not to access matching URLs.
• Allow: Explicitly permits access to matching URLs.
• Sitemap: Identifies the location of the XML sitemap.

A robots.txt file does not guarantee that a page will or will not appear in Google Search. It controls crawling, not indexing directly.

Google explains this distinction in its official robots.txt documentation.

2. Why Is Robots.txt Important for Blogger SEO?

Robots.txt helps search engines understand which URLs they should crawl on your blog.

Although Blogger manages much of the technical infrastructure automatically, understanding robots.txt is useful when managing a growing blog.

Here are some important reasons.

2.1 Helps Manage Search-Engine Crawling

A blog can generate different types of URLs, including:

• Individual blog posts
• Static pages
• Label or category archives
• Internal search-result pages
• Other automatically generated URLs

Not every URL needs to receive the same crawling attention.

Appropriate robots.txt rules can discourage crawlers from accessing selected URL patterns while leaving important content accessible.

2.2 Helps Avoid Unnecessary Crawling

Search-result and other repetitive URLs may provide limited additional value to search engines.

Depending on your blog structure, you may choose to restrict crawling of certain URL patterns.

However, do not assume that every archive or label page is useless. If label pages provide valuable navigation and attract search traffic, consider their SEO purpose before blocking them.

2.3 Helps Search Engines Discover Your Sitemap

A sitemap provides search engines with information about the important URLs on your blog.

The Sitemap directive in robots.txt identifies the sitemap location.

For example:

Sitemap: https://www.example.com/sitemap.xml

This makes the sitemap location discoverable to crawlers that support the directive.

You can also submit your sitemap separately through Google Search Console.

2.4 Prevents Accidental Crawling Restrictions

Understanding robots.txt helps you avoid mistakes such as blocking the entire blog.

For example:

User-agent: *

Disallow: /

This instruction tells matching crawlers not to crawl any URL on the website.

If applied to a public Blogger blog, it can seriously interfere with search-engine access.

3. How to Check the Default Blogger Robots.txt File

Blogger automatically generates a robots.txt file for every blog.

You do not need to create one manually when using the default configuration.

Step 1: Open Your Blogger Website

Open your blog in a browser.

For example:

https://www.example.com

If you are using a Blogspot address, use your existing Blogspot URL instead.

Step 2: Add /robots.txt to Your Domain

Enter the following address in your browser:

https://www.example.com/robots.txt

Replace example.com with your actual Blogger domain.

For example:

• Custom domain: https://www.example.com/robots.txt
• Blogspot domain: https://example.blogspot.com/robots.txt

Step 3: Examine the File

Your browser should display a plain-text document containing crawling instructions.

Depending on Blogger’s generated configuration, you may see:

• User-agent declarations
• Disallow rules
• Allow rules
• Sitemap references

Important: Do not assume that every Blogger blog has exactly the same default robots.txt content. Blogger manages the default file, and its actual contents should be checked directly on your website.

Should You Change the Default Robots.txt?

For most beginner bloggers, keeping the default Blogger robots.txt configuration is a sensible starting point.

You should consider customization only when you understand which URLs you want to restrict and why.

4. How to Enable Custom Robots.txt in Blogger

Blogger allows website owners to replace the automatically generated robots.txt content with their own instructions.

Follow these steps.

Step 1: Log in to Blogger

Visit Blogger and sign in using your Google account.

Select the blog you want to configure.

Step 2: Open Settings

Click Settings in the left-hand dashboard menu.

Step 3: Find Crawlers and Indexing

Scroll down to the section named Crawlers and indexing.

You should find options such as:

• Enable custom robots.txt
• Enable custom robots header tags
• Google Search Console

Step 4: Enable Custom Robots.txt

Turn on the Enable custom robots.txt option.

Blogger will allow you to enter your own robots.txt instructions.

Step 5: Enter Your Custom Rules

Add the robots.txt configuration you want to use.

Before saving, verify:

• The syntax is correct.
• Important blog posts are not blocked.
• The sitemap URL is correct.
• You have not accidentally blocked the entire website.

Step 6: Save and Verify

Save the changes.

Open your blog’s /robots.txt address again to check whether your custom configuration is being served.

Important: Enabling custom robots.txt replaces Blogger’s default robots.txt content. It does not simply add your rules to the existing file. You must include every rule you still need.

This behaviour is documented in Blogger’s official settings guide.

5. Recommended Custom Robots.txt Settings for Blogger

If you have a specific reason to customize your Blogger robots.txt, the following is a simple example to understand.

Basic Custom Robots.txt Example

User-agent: *

Disallow: /search

Allow: /

 

Sitemap: https://www.example.com/sitemap.xml

Replace https://www.example.com/ with your actual blog’s HTTPS address.

Explanation of the Rules

User-agent: *

This instruction applies to all crawlers that follow the standard robots.txt user-agent rules.

Disallow: /search

This asks matching crawlers not to crawl URLs beginning with /search.

On Blogger, this can include internal search and label-related URLs.

Before using this rule, consider whether your label pages are important for organic search traffic or site navigation.

Allow: /

This explicitly allows crawling of URLs across the website, subject to any more specific matching restrictions.

Sitemap:

This tells supporting crawlers where to find your XML sitemap.

An Important Recommendation

There is no universal custom robots.txt configuration that is best for every Blogger website.

If your blog is performing well with Blogger’s default settings, there is generally no SEO advantage in replacing them simply because you found a custom robots.txt example online.

Keep the default configuration unless you have a clearly defined technical requirement.

6. Understanding Important Robots.txt Directives

Before creating advanced rules, understand the instructions commonly used in robots.txt.

Directive	Purpose
User-agent	Identifies the crawler
Disallow	Restricts crawling of matching URLs
Allow	Permits crawling of matching URLs
Sitemap	Specifies a sitemap location

6.1 User-agent

The User-agent directive identifies the search-engine crawler.

Example:

User-agent: *

The asterisk represents all crawlers that support this convention.

You can also specify a particular crawler:

User-agent: Googlebot

Disallow: /search

This instruction applies specifically to Google’s main web crawler.

6.2 Disallow

The Disallow directive tells a crawler not to access matching URLs.

Example:

User-agent: *

Disallow: /search

This restricts crawling of URLs beginning with /search.

Be careful when using broad restrictions because they may affect more URLs than expected.

6.3 Allow

The Allow directive explicitly permits crawling of matching URLs.

Example:

User-agent: *

Disallow: /search

Allow: /

Allow and Disallow rules can be used together. When matching rules overlap, Google generally applies the most specific matching rule.

6.4 Sitemap

The Sitemap directive identifies the location of an XML sitemap.

Example:

Sitemap: https://www.example.com/sitemap.xml

You can specify more than one sitemap when your website has multiple relevant sitemap files.

For example, if your Blogger blog exposes a separate sitemap for static pages:

Sitemap: https://www.example.com/sitemap.xml

Sitemap: https://www.example.com/sitemap-pages.xml

Check that both addresses actually work before including them.

7. How to Add a Sitemap to Blogger Robots.txt

A sitemap is an important part of technical SEO because it helps search engines discover the URLs you want them to consider.

Blogger automatically generates sitemap files.

Main Blogger Sitemap

The commonly used sitemap address is:

https://www.example.com/sitemap.xml

For a Blogspot website, it may look like:

https://example.blogspot.com/sitemap.xml

Separate Sitemap for Static Pages

Some Blogger configurations also expose a separate sitemap for static pages:

https://www.example.com/sitemap-pages.xml

Check the actual URL before using it.

How to Submit Your Blogger Sitemap to Google

Follow these steps:

1. Open Google Search Console.
2. Select your verified Blogger website property.
3. Click Sitemaps in the left-hand menu.
4. Enter sitemap.xml in the Add a new sitemap field.
5. Click Submit.
6. Check the submission status.

If you use a separate static-page sitemap and it is supported by your blog, you can submit that separately.

Remember that submitting a sitemap does not guarantee that every submitted URL will be indexed.

Google makes its own crawling, indexing, and ranking decisions.

8. Robots.txt vs Custom Robots Header Tags in Blogger

Many beginners confuse custom robots.txt with custom robots header tags.

Although both features influence how search engines handle content, they serve different purposes.

Feature	Robots.txt	Robots Header Tags
Main purpose	Controls crawling	Provides indexing instructions
Applies to	URL patterns	Individual page types or pages
Can use noindex	No	Yes
Blogger support	Yes	Yes

What Are Custom Robots Header Tags?

Custom robots header tags allow you to provide search-engine instructions through page-level robots directives.

Blogger provides settings for:

• Home page tags
• Archive and search page tags
• Post and page tags

For example, the noindex directive tells search engines not to include a page in their search results.

When Should You Use Noindex?

Consider using noindex when you want a particular page to remain accessible to visitors but not appear in search results.

For example, you may decide that certain internal search-result pages should not be indexed.

However, do not apply noindex to important blog posts or pages that you want to rank in Google.

Important Difference

If you block a URL using robots.txt, Google may not be able to crawl the page and discover its noindex directive.

Therefore, if your objective is to prevent a page from appearing in Google Search, allow Googlebot to crawl the page so it can see the noindex instruction.

Google explains this distinction in its official robots.txt guide.

9. Common Blogger Robots.txt Errors and How to Fix Them

Incorrect robots.txt settings can create crawling problems.

Here are some common mistakes beginners should avoid.

Error 1: Blocking the Entire Website

Incorrect configuration:

User-agent: *

Disallow: /

Problem: This blocks crawling of the entire website for matching crawlers.

Solution: Remove the broad restriction if you want search engines to crawl your public blog.

A basic alternative is:

User-agent: *

Allow: /

However, if you are using a custom file, remember to include any other rules and sitemap references you need.

Error 2: Missing Sitemap Reference

Problem: Your custom robots.txt file does not contain the sitemap location.

Solution: Add the correct sitemap address:

Sitemap: https://www.example.com/sitemap.xml

Also submit the sitemap through Google Search Console.

Error 3: Incorrect Domain Name

Incorrect example:

Sitemap: https://www.wrongdomain.com/sitemap.xml

Problem: The sitemap points to another domain.

Solution: Replace it with your actual Blogger domain.

If you use a custom domain, make sure the sitemap uses the correct HTTPS hostname.

Error 4: Using an Incorrect Sitemap URL

Some bloggers copy sitemap examples from outdated tutorials and use feed URLs instead of sitemap URLs.

For example:

Sitemap: https://www.example.com/feeds/posts/default

A Blogger feed is not the same as its XML sitemap.

Solution: Use the actual Blogger sitemap address:

Sitemap: https://www.example.com/sitemap.xml

Error 5: Blocking Important Blog Posts

Problem: A broad Disallow rule prevents Googlebot from crawling URLs that you want to appear in search results.

Solution: Review the affected URL patterns and remove unnecessary restrictions.

Check important posts using the URL Inspection tool in Google Search Console.

Error 6: Confusing Crawling with Indexing

Problem: You expect robots.txt to remove an already indexed page from Google Search.

Solution: Understand the difference between crawling and indexing.

Use the appropriate noindex directive when you want a page excluded from search results, rather than relying on robots.txt.

Error 7: Forgetting to Verify Custom Changes

Problem: You save a custom robots.txt configuration but never check the live file.

Solution: Visit:

https://www.example.com/robots.txt

Check the actual instructions being served after saving your changes.

Also inspect important URLs in Google Search Console.

10. Best Practices for Blogger Robots.txt SEO

If you want to manage Blogger crawling settings safely, follow these recommendations.

10.1 Keep Default Settings Unless Necessary

Blogger automatically generates its robots.txt file.

For a beginner, keeping the default configuration is often the simplest and safest option.

Avoid changing technical settings without understanding their effects.

10.2 Never Block Important Content

Your main objective should be to make valuable content accessible to search engines.

Avoid blocking:

• Important blog posts
• Useful static pages
• Essential website resources
• URLs that you want Google to discover and crawl

10.3 Check Your Sitemap Regularly

Open your sitemap address occasionally to confirm that it is accessible.

Submit the sitemap through Google Search Console and review its reported status.

10.4 Use HTTPS URLs

If your Blogger blog uses a custom domain, ensure that HTTPS is enabled and that your sitemap references the preferred HTTPS version.

For example:

Sitemap: https://www.example.com/sitemap.xml

Do not mix HTTP and HTTPS sitemap addresses unnecessarily.

10.5 Avoid Copying Robots.txt from Other Websites

A robots.txt configuration suitable for a large WordPress website may not be suitable for Blogger.

Different platforms have different URL structures and technical requirements.

Always adapt rules to your own website.

10.6 Review Changes After Editing

After making changes:

1. Open the live robots.txt file.
2. Check that the syntax is correct.
3. Verify that the sitemap address works.
4. Inspect important pages in Google Search Console.
5. Monitor the Page Indexing report for relevant crawling or indexing problems.

10.7 Remember That Robots.txt Is Not a Security Tool

Robots.txt instructions are publicly accessible.

They do not protect confidential information, private documents, or sensitive website content.

Use proper authentication and access controls to protect private information.

11. Useful Tools to Check Blogger Robots.txt

You do not need expensive SEO software to manage basic Blogger robots.txt settings.

The following free resources are useful.

1. Google Search Console

Visit Google Search Console

Useful for:

• Monitoring indexing status
• Inspecting individual URLs
• Submitting sitemaps
• Identifying crawling and indexing problems

2. Google Search Central

Read the official robots.txt documentation

Useful for:

• Understanding robots.txt syntax
• Learning crawling restrictions
• Understanding the difference between crawling and indexing

3. Blogger Dashboard

Open Blogger

Useful for:

• Enabling or disabling custom robots.txt
• Managing custom robots header tags
• Reviewing crawling-related settings

4. Browser

Simply open:

https://www.example.com/robots.txt

A browser is sufficient to inspect the robots.txt file being served by your Blogger website.

12. Does Custom Robots.txt Improve Blogger Rankings?

This is a common question among Blogger users.

The answer is that custom robots.txt does not automatically improve search rankings.

Its purpose is to communicate crawling instructions to search engines.

A properly configured file can help avoid unnecessary crawling restrictions and make your intended crawling rules clear.

However, rankings depend on many other factors, including:

• Content quality and usefulness
• Search intent satisfaction
• Website structure
• Internal linking
• Page experience
• Technical accessibility
• Relevance and authority

For example, if you publish a detailed tutorial about Blogger SEO, a correctly configured robots.txt file can help Google access the post. However, it cannot guarantee that the post will rank highly.

Focus on useful content and sound technical SEO rather than repeatedly changing robots.txt settings.

Key Takeaways

1. Blogger automatically generates a robots.txt file for your blog.
2. You can check it by adding /robots.txt after your blog’s domain.
3. Custom robots.txt settings replace the default configuration, so use them carefully.
4. Include the correct sitemap address when creating a custom robots.txt file.
5. Avoid blocking important blog posts and pages that you want Google to discover.
6. Robots.txt controls crawling, whereas noindex controls whether a page should appear in search results.
7. Beginners should generally retain Blogger’s default robots.txt settings unless customization is genuinely necessary.

FAQ

1. What is the default robots.txt file in Blogger?

Blogger automatically generates a robots.txt file containing instructions for search-engine crawlers. It generally manages crawling rules and sitemap references without requiring manual configuration. You can view the actual file by visiting https://yourdomain.com/robots.txt.

2. How do I enable custom robots.txt in Blogger?

Log in to Blogger, open Settings, and scroll down to Crawlers and indexing. Enable the Custom robots.txt option and enter your preferred instructions. Save your changes and check the live robots.txt file to verify the configuration.

3. What is the best robots.txt setting for Blogger SEO?

For most beginners, the default Blogger robots.txt configuration is a sensible choice. If you need custom rules, use a carefully tested configuration that does not block important content and includes the correct sitemap reference.

4. Should I disallow /search in Blogger robots.txt?

You can use Disallow: /search to discourage crawlers from accessing Blogger search and label-related URLs. However, evaluate whether your label pages provide useful navigation or organic search traffic before blocking them.

5. Does robots.txt affect Google indexing?

Robots.txt affects crawling rather than directly controlling indexing. Google may still index a blocked URL if it discovers that URL through external links or other sources. Use a noindex directive when you want to prevent an accessible page from appearing in Google Search.

6. How do I add a sitemap to Blogger robots.txt?

Add a Sitemap directive containing your actual sitemap address:

Sitemap: https://www.example.com/sitemap.xml

Replace the example domain with your Blogger blog’s domain. You can also submit the sitemap separately through Google Search Console.

7. How can I check whether my Blogger robots.txt is working?

Open your blog’s /robots.txt address in a browser. Review the displayed instructions and verify that the sitemap address works. You can also use Google Search Console’s URL Inspection tool to investigate whether important pages are accessible to Google.

8. Can incorrect robots.txt settings stop my Blogger posts from appearing on Google?

Yes. If your robots.txt file blocks important post URLs or the entire website, Google may be unable to crawl your content. Review the Disallow rules, restore the default configuration if necessary, and inspect affected URLs through Google Search Console.

Conclusion

Blogger robots.txt is a small but important part of technical SEO. It helps communicate crawling instructions to search engines and provides a way to manage access to different URL patterns.

For beginners, the most important lesson is not to customize robots.txt unnecessarily. Blogger already generates a default configuration, which is often sufficient for an ordinary blog.

If you decide to use custom rules, understand each directive, preserve access to important content, and include the correct sitemap address.

Your next step: Open https://yourdomain.com/robots.txt, check your current configuration, and make sure your important blog posts remain accessible to search engines.

Authoritative References

The following official resources support the technical explanations in this article:

1. Blogger Help – Manage Your Blog’s Settings – Custom robots.txt and crawling settings.
2. Blogger Help – Help People Find Your Blog on Search Engines – Custom robots header tags and page visibility.
3. Google Search Central – Robots.txt Introduction and Guide – Robots.txt syntax, crawling and indexing limitations.
4. Google Search Console – Sitemap submission and URL inspection.

For more articles on Blogger:

1. How to Create a Blog on Blogger: Complete Beginner Setup Guide 2026
2. Blogger SEO Settings: The Complete Guide to Ranking Blogspot Posts
3. How to submit a blogger sitemap to Google Search Console
4. Blogger Custom Domain Setup: Connect Your Domain Step by Step (2026 Guide)
5. How to Write SEO-Friendly Blogger Posts That Rank on Google
6. How to Enable and Optimize Search Descriptions in Blogger (2026)
7. How to Verify a Blogger Site in Google Search Console (2026 Guide)
8. Blogger SEO Checklist: 25 Settings to Check Before Publishing
9. Blogger Not Indexing in Google? 12 Fixes That Actually Matter