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How to Fix Submitted URL Blocked by Robots.txt: A Complete Step-by-Step Guide
✧ Understanding the "Submitted URL Blocked by Robots.txt" Error
When checking Google Search Console you may discover the troublesome “submitted URL blocked by robots.txt” warning. It is a common but frustrating situation that prevents your content from appropriate indexing and ranking. Google’s crawlers interpret this message as an instruction to avoid accessing specified website pages.
Website owners panic upon seeing the “submitted URL blocked by robots.txt” Message yet this does not indicate any reason for concern. This issue has an easy solution which depends on the proper approach. The following Steps will show what triggers this error along with detailed instructions for fast resolving it.
“A website’s robots.txt file acts as a gatekeeper that should always allow search engine bots instead of blocking them from essential content” – SEO Expert
✧ What is Robots.txt File ?
Web crawlers as well as search engine bots use the robots.txt file to communicate with websites through text. The file indicates to search robots the areas on your website that they can explore and which areas must remain off-limits. The robots.txt file finds its place in the root directory of websites at locations such as (www.example.com/robots.txt.)
✧ What Causes "Submitted URL Blocked by Robots.txt" Errors?
Your robots.txt file is blocking search engine crawlers from specific pages, which explains the “how to fix submitted URL blocked by robots.txt” issues that you have encountered. The robots.txt file provides a list of instructions which search engines use to determine their access rights to different site sections.
Sometimes these restrictions are on purpose – you would like, for example, to keep your website pages private in some areas However, in a lot of cases, such blockages are happening by mistake, for instance, due to a wrong setting or a misconfiguration. The good news is that when you know the cause of the “Google Search Console submitted URL blocked by robots.txt” error, it is easy to fix it.
It is essential to be familiar with the robots.txt file’s syntax for your good. It instructs with precise instructions, such as “User-agent:” to know the bots whose rules are valid and “Disallow:” to say which paths should be disallowed. A wrong-gone directive can accidentally block some valuable content.
“Understanding your website visibility depends heavily on the robots.txt file setup – it should be your partner, not your barrier.” – Digital Marketer
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✧The six precise steps help resolve "Submitted URL Blocked by Robots.txt" errors.
Follow these six precise steps help resolve “Submitted URL Blocked by Robots.txt” errors:
➜ Step 1: Access Your Google Search Console Coverage Report
- Log in to Google Search Console
- click coverage on the left side bar
- Look for the specific “submitted URL blocked by robots.txt” error
- Click on this error to see exactly which URLs are affected
This first step is crucial as it shows you precisely which URLs Google is unable to crawl due to your robots.txt restrictions.
➜ Step 2: Locate and Download Your Robots.txt File
- FTP or use your hosting control panel to access the root directory of your website.
- Find your robots.txt file (typically at yourdomain.com/robots.txt)
- Download this file to your computer for editing
- Before you start making any changes, you must take a backup of the file.
There is a possibility that, in case there is no file with the name “robots.txt”, it was not created. If this is the case, you will have to start with a brand new one.
➜ Step 3: Identify the Problematic Directives
- Open the robots.txt file in a text editor
- Search for all lines whose start is “Disallow:” and that match your blocked URLs
- Some problematic examples of directives include:
- Disallow: / (block the whole website.)
- Disallow: /blog/ (blocks all content of your blog)
- User-agent: Googlebot Disallow: /important-page/ (blocks Google specifically)
The “how to fix submitted URL blocked by robots.txt” process requires identifying exactly which lines are causing your issues.
“In SEO, precision matters. A single character in your robots.txt file can be the difference between visibility and invisibility.” – Technical SEO Specialist
➜ Step 4: Modify Your Robots.txt File
- Modify very protective instructions that Stop the web crawlers from crawling the important contents
- For certain URL patterns, the use following Fixes:
- To Allow all Content: Replace Disallow: / with some specific disallows only for those private areas
- To allow a previously blocked directory: Remove or comment out the line Disallow: /directory/
- To allow some specific pages from the directories blocked: Include Allow: /blocked-directory/important-page.html
A sample of a properly set robots.txt file is:
➜ Step 5: Verify Robots.txt Changes by Running a Test
This image is taken from support.google.com
- In Google Search Console, click on “Settings” > “robots.txt Tester“.
- Paste your modified robots.txt instruction.
- Enter URLs that were previously blocked to verify they’re now allowed.
- Look for any unexpected blockages that might still exist.
Checking your robots.txt file is a critical step because making mistakes while modifying it can lead to severe issues with the visibility of your website. The “Google Search Console submitted URL blocked by robots.txt” fix should always include thorough testing.
➜ Step 6: Upload and Monitor
- Upload your robots.txt file that is revised to the root directory of your website
- Use “URL Inspection” in Google Search Console to check individual URLs
- Request indexing for previously blocked URLs you want indexed
- Monitor your Coverage report over the next few weeks to ensure the error count decreases
The website re-crawl process might require Google to use patience in detecting site modifications.
Pro Tip : Use the Correct Syntax for Maximum Effectiveness
1. User-agent must have a hyphen and be followed by a colon
2. Commands must start with capital letters (Disallow: not disallow:)
3. Always use forward slashes for directories
4. Add comments using the # symbol for future reference
For example, like this syntax: User-agent: * Disallow: /private/ it tells the all bot to stay away from the /private/ directory, but the next one: User-agent: Googlebot Allow: /important-page/ only allows Google to index that page.
✧ Common Robots.txt Mistakes to Avoid
One frequent mistake webmasters make when addressing “how to fix submitted URL blocked by robots.txt” problems is using wildcards incorrectly. The standard robots.txt protocol has limited wildcard support – primarily for user-agent. To get better results in pattern matching, you can try to use the last version that now has a wildcard in directories.
One of the most common mistakes is when people think robots.txt is actually about security; in fact, it is more of a hint for the “crawlers” or robots which are well-behaved. Therefore, do not apply it for concealing the most confidential data, as the malicious bots will merely take no notice of them. Instead, utilise appropriate authentication methods in order to protect real confidential content.
“Information that remains unused creates no meaningful impact whatsoever. You should view problems displayed by Google Search Console as chances to enhance your search performance.” – Web Developer
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✧ Ready to Optimize Your Website's Visibility?
Certainly you may allow “submitted URL blocked by robots.txt” errors to prohibit your site from operating at its peak. Through abiding by our detailed six-point plan, you will be able to guarantee search engines can get to and index your vital content. Through this method, you will be able to improve the visibility, the higher rankings, and lastly, the traffic to your website.
Take action today! Choose to review your robots.txt file while making changes to its problematic directives through the complete step-by-step guide we provide. The enhanced search results from your website efforts will prove their worth. Professional assistance is needed to optimize your robots.txt configuration. Our group of SEO specialists stands prepared to help you enhance your website for its best exposure in search results.
