How to Configure robots.txt in Nuxt?

Check this post on my web notes.

In this article, we will search for answers to this questions:

1. What is a robots txt?

2. Why do we need robots txt?

3. How to add and configure robots txt in Nuxt.js?

4. How to validate robots txt?

So let's figure out what it is and what it is eaten with!

While engrossed in the intricacies of dynamic Nuxt applications, from generating pages to implementing sitemaps and dynamic components, it's easy to overlook the critical role of the robots.txt file. Yet, for optimal visibility on Google search and Android platforms, configuring this often-neglected file is paramount. In this article, we'll address this oversight and guide you through the process of configuring robots.txt for your Nuxt project. Join us as we unravel the importance of this file and its impact on search engine rankings, ensuring your Nuxt applications stand out in the digital landscape.

What is a robots txt?

Robots.txt is a text file on a website that instructs web crawlers which pages or sections should not be crawled or indexed. It serves as a set of guidelines for search engine bots, helping website owners control how their content is accessed and displayed in search results. Properly configuring robots.txt is crucial for optimizing a website's visibility and ensuring that search engines interpret its content accurately.

Why do we need robots txt?

Robots.txt is essential for controlling how search engine crawlers access and index the content on a website. It allows website owners to specify which areas should be off-limits to search engines, preventing certain pages or directories from being crawled. By using robots.txt, webmasters can optimize their site's interaction with search engines, manage crawl budgets efficiently, and improve the overall search engine optimization (SEO) strategy.

How to add and configure robots txt in Nuxt.js?

Now we are at the most important part of this article because we will add a robots.txt file to our Nuxt project. For that purpose we will use the "nuxt-simple-robots" module, it provides an easy-to-use interface to customize directives, allowing developers to control how search engine crawlers access and index their Nuxt applications.

• to install the "nuxt-simple-robots" dependency to our app we need to use the npm command:

npm i nuxt-simple-robots

• add "nuxt-simple-robots" to our modules section in nuxt.config.js file:

export default defineNuxtConfig({
  modules: ['nuxt-simple-robots']
})

Great, now we can regenerate our app, and "nuxt-simple-robots" will create a robots.txt file with simple rules:

User-agent: *
Disallow: 
Allow: *

Rules :
User-agent - The user-agent to apply the rules to.
Disallow - An array of paths to disallow for the user-agent.
Allow - An array of paths to allow for the user-agent.
Sitemap - An array of sitemap URLs to include in the generated sitemap.
In our case "*" means that we allow all search engine bots to parse all routes and all pages. We can add some routes to those rules to forbid bots from visiting and indexing those pages.

Inside the nuxt.config.js file, we need to add robots object and then add a disallow array that will contain forbidden routes for robots txt.

export default defineNuxtConfig({
   robots: {
     disallow: [
       '/create-post',
       '/signin',
       '/signup',
       '/edit-post'
     ]
   },
})

We also need to regenerate our app for new rules to be applied.

How to validate robots txt?

• we can visit our main webpage and write after the URL "/robots.txt" and press Enter, then we will be redirected to our robots.txt file and we can check all the rules;

• there are several online tools available that can validate your robots.txt file. Google provides a helpful tool called the "robots.txt Tester" within the Google Search Console. You can access it by navigating to the "Crawl" section and then selecting "robots.txt Tester." Another option is to use third-party online validators like the "Google Robots.txt Checker" or "Bing Webmaster Tools."

• there are web crawling tools like Screaming Frog SEO Spider or Sitebulb that can simulate web crawls based on your robots.txt rules. These tools can help you visualize how search engine bots might interact with your website based on the directives you've set.

In summary, mastering robots.txt in Nuxt.js is vital for optimizing search engine visibility. This article explored the file's role in guiding search engine bots and its significance in controlling crawler access. The practical steps using "nuxt-simple-robots" offer a user-friendly approach, enabling developers to tailor their projects for effective SEO. By disallowing specific routes and employing online validation tools, developers can manage crawl budgets and ensure accurate content interpretation. In the dynamic digital landscape, a well-configured robots.txt becomes a key asset, enhancing Nuxt applications' prominence in search engine results and solidifying online presence.