Google’s Gary Illyes recently shared some important news: robots.txt files can’t fully stop unauthorized access to your website. This means that while robots.txt can guide good bots like search engine crawlers, it can’t keep out the bad ones.
Typical Arguments Concerning Robots.txt
Whenever people talk about robots.txt, someone always points out that it can’t block all unwanted bots. Gary Illyes confirmed this by saying, “Robots.txt can’t prevent unauthorized access to content.” This means that while robots.txt can guide good bots like search engine crawlers, it doesn’t stop the bad ones.
Robots.txt is like a sign that says “Keep Out!” on your bedroom door. Good bots, like search engines, usually respect this sign. But just like your little brother might ignore the sign, bad bots might ignore robots.txt and still try to get in. So, you need more than just robots.txt to keep your website safe.
Managing Bots with the Correct Tools
To protect your website from unwanted visitors, you need more than just robots.txt. Here are some better ways to manage who gets in:
- Firewalls: Think of firewalls as security guards for your website. They check who is trying to get in and block the bad guys. For example, Cloudflare WAF is used by over 20% of websites around the world to help keep them safe.
- Password Protection: Just like you use a password to get into your email, you can use passwords to protect parts of your website. This way, only people with the right password can get in.
- Authentication Methods: These are ways to check if someone is allowed to enter your website. It’s like showing an ID card to get into a club.
Using a mix of these tools can make your website much safer. Here’s how:
- Firewalls: These can block access based on IP addresses and behavior. For example, Fail2Ban is a tool that many websites use to block bad guys.
- Security Plugins: If you have a WordPress website, plugins like Wordfence can help protect it. Wordfence is installed on over 4 million websites.
- Strong Authentication: Using strong passwords and other methods to check who’s trying to get in can help keep your site safe.
Conclusion
While robots.txt is helpful, it’s not enough to fully protect your website. For better security, use firewalls, password protection, and other authentication methods. These tools work together to keep bad bots and unwanted visitors out of your website. So, think of robots.txt as just one part of your website’s security team, but remember to use other tools for full protection.
