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Editing Robots.txt

Editing the robots.txt file is an advanced and high-risk action. The default robots.txt provided by Shopify is already optimized for SEO, and in most cases, should not be modified.

warning

Even a small syntax error in robots.txt can block search engines from indexing your entire store, resulting in zero organic traffic.
Our support team cannot be held responsible for issues caused by incorrect robots.txt customizations. Only proceed if you fully understand the implications.

🤖 What Is robots.txt?​

Search engines like Google use automated programs called crawlers (or bots) to discover and index web pages. The robots.txt file acts as a set of instructions that tells these crawlers:

  • Which pages or directories should be crawled
  • Which pages should be ignored

All Shopify stores come with a default, SEO-friendly robots.txt that:

  • Allows crawling of product, collection, blog, and page URLs
  • Blocks administrative and duplicate URLs (e.g., cart, search, sort parameters)
  • Prevents indexing of low-value pages that could dilute SEO

You can view your store’s current file at:
https://your-store.com/robots.txt

🛠️ Can You Customize robots.txt?​

Yes—but only if absolutely necessary (e.g., blocking staging pages, restricting API endpoints, or complying with legal requirements).

Important Notes:​

  • Shopify does not create a custom robots.txt by default—your store uses Shopify’s managed version.
  • To override it, you must manually create a robots.txt.liquid file in your theme’s Assets folder.
  • Once created, your version replaces Shopify’s default entirely—use with extreme caution.

📘 For step-by-step instructions, see Shopify’s official documentation on robots.txt.

✅ When Might You Need to Edit robots.txt?​

Very rare scenarios include:

  • Blocking specific URL patterns (e.g., /apps/, /search?q=*)
  • Preventing indexing of a password-protected staging theme
  • Complying with regional data regulations

🚫 Do NOT edit robots.txt to:

  • “Improve SEO” (the default is already optimal)
  • Hide low-quality content (fix the content instead)
  • Block competitors (it doesn’t work that way)

🔒 Best Practice​

Leave it alone unless directed by an SEO specialist or legal requirement.
If you’re unsure, do not create or modify robots.txt.liquid.

💡 Remember: A missing or invalid robots.txt is often safer than a misconfigured one. Search engines will simply crawl your site using standard rules.