Generate Robots.txt & Sitemaps Instantly with Our Free Tool

Search engines rely on two simple text files to understand your website: robots.txt tells crawlers what to avoid, while an XML sitemap points them to every page you want indexed. Neglect either and you risk poor visibility or accidental exposure of private folders. The Robots.txt & Sitemap Generator streamlines this process. It runs entirely in your browser, letting you produce both files on the fly without uploading site data.

Unlike server‑based generators, everything happens client‑side. You can draft directives during a flight, prototype different crawl rules on a local machine or share generated files with teammates without security concerns. This guide walks through the tool’s features, explains the underlying directives and provides real‑world examples so you can launch search‑friendly sites with confidence.

Why robots.txt and sitemaps matter

Search engines discover pages by crawling links. A missing or misconfigured robots.txt file can block important sections, while an outdated sitemap leaves new content hidden. Google’s Search Central documentation notes that robots.txt is the standard way to instruct compliant crawlers which parts of your site are off limits.¹ Meanwhile, sitemaps help search engines discover URLs efficiently, especially on large or newly built websites.²

What is robots.txt?

robots.txt sits at the root of your domain and lists allow/disallow rules for specific user agents (crawlers). A simple file might look like:

User-agent: *
Disallow: /admin/
Allow: /admin/help/
Sitemap: https://example.com/sitemap.xml

The generator provides fields for each directive so you can craft rules without memorising syntax.

What is an XML sitemap?

An XML sitemap is a structured list of URLs. Each entry can include metadata such as last modified date, expected update frequency and priority. Search engines use this map to crawl pages even if internal links are sparse. Our tool can produce standard or image sitemaps by pasting URLs or uploading a list.

Getting started

1. Load the tool

Open the Robots.txt & Sitemap Generator. The interface is split into two tabs—Robots.txt and Sitemap—so you can work on each file separately.

2. Configure robots.txt directives

1. Choose a user agent – Leave it set to * for rules that apply to all bots, or specify crawlers like Googlebot if you need targeted directives.
2. Add Allow/Disallow paths – Type one path per line. The tool validates leading slashes and alerts you to conflicting rules.
3. Reference a sitemap – Paste the final URL where your sitemap will live. This is optional but recommended for clarity.
4. Preview and export – The right panel shows the generated file in real time. Click Copy or Download to grab it.

3. Build an XML sitemap

1. Add URLs – Paste a list or drop a text file. The generator normalises trailing slashes and removes duplicates.
2. Set change frequency – Options include daily, weekly, or monthly. This is purely advisory but gives crawlers hints about update schedules.
3. Assign priority – Values from 0.0 to 1.0 signal relative importance. Homepages often receive 1.0, while archived posts might use 0.3.
4. Include lastmod dates – Enter dates or allow the tool to auto‑fill today’s date for quick drafts.
5. Preview and export – Switch to the XML view to confirm structure, then download or copy.

Real‑world use cases

Launching a new blog

When launching a site with dozens of posts, a sitemap ensures search engines find every article even before backlinks accumulate. Use the generator to paste all URL slugs at once and export a ready‑to‑upload sitemap.xml.

Staging environments

Developers often run staging servers that should not be indexed. Set Disallow: / in robots.txt for the staging domain, but remember to remove or adjust the rule before going live. The generator’s quick preview reduces the chance of shipping restrictive rules to production.

Large e‑commerce sites

Stores with thousands of product pages can benefit from segmented sitemaps. Generate multiple files (e.g., sitemap-products.xml, sitemap-categories.xml) and list them in a sitemap index. The tool supports generating these subsets and merging them later.

Understanding directives

Robots.txt basics

The generator includes optional fields for Crawl-delay and host‑specific directives so you can match regional requirements.

Sitemap elements

A complete sitemap entry might look like:

<url>
  <loc>https://example.com/products/widget</loc>
  <lastmod>2025-02-10</lastmod>
  <changefreq>monthly</changefreq>
  <priority>0.7</priority>
</url>

Tips and best practices

"Robots directives are suggestions, not enforceable laws." – a reminder from Google’s documentation.

• Place robots.txt at the root. https://example.com/robots.txt is the only location crawlers check.
• Use lowercase paths. Crawlers are case‑sensitive; mixing cases can inadvertently expose directories.
• Keep sitemaps under 50 MB or 50,000 URLs. If you exceed limits, create multiple files and reference them in a sitemap index.
• Regenerate after redesigns. Any time URLs change, update the sitemap to reflect the new structure.
• Monitor Search Console. After uploading files, use Google Search Console to test robots.txt and submit sitemaps.

Common pitfalls

Blocking assets unintentionally

Disallowing /assets/ might speed up crawls but can also prevent Google from fetching CSS or JS files, leading to rendering issues. The tool warns when common directories like /css/ or /js/ are blocked.

Forgetting to update sitemap URLs

When migrating from www to a bare domain or switching protocols, the sitemap’s <loc> entries must match the new URLs. Batch find‑and‑replace within the generator makes this painless.

Overusing priority values

Setting every page to 1.0 dilutes the signal. Reserve higher values for critical pages like your homepage or high‑value landing pages.

Suggested visuals

• Screenshot of the generator’s dual tabs with annotations for each field.
• Flowchart depicting how crawlers read robots.txt before fetching sitemap URLs.
• Diagram comparing a correct and incorrect robots.txt configuration.

Internal links for further optimization

Enhance your SEO toolkit with more resources on Infinite Curios:

• Preview search snippets using the SEO Meta Preview.
• Validate Open Graph tags with the OG Preview.
• Test regular expressions for log analysis in our Regex Tester.

External references

Why trust this guide?

This article was written by Adam Johnston of Infinite Curios. Adam maintains the open‑source tools on this site and has helped hundreds of creators implement better SEO practices. You can review the source code or contribute enhancements on GitHub.

Conclusion and next steps

Robots.txt and sitemaps act as the navigation beacons for search engines. With the Robots.txt & Sitemap Generator you can craft clean directives, prevent sensitive areas from being crawled and ensure every important page is indexed. Whether you are spinning up a one‑page portfolio or managing a sprawling storefront, spending a few minutes on these files pays dividends in discoverability.

Ready to generate yours? Open the tool now and put your site on the path to better visibility.