Which of the following is NOT a function of the robots.txt file?
- Show search engine bots all the pages on a site
- Prevent search engines from crawling private pages
- Keep search engine bots from overwhelming server resources
- Specify the location of your sitemap
Explanation: The function of the robots.txt file is to control how search engine bots access and crawl a website’s pages, making the statement ‘Show search engine bots all the pages on a site’ incorrect. The robots.txt file does not instruct search engine bots to display all pages on a site but rather provides directives to specify which pages or sections should be crawled and indexed and which ones should be excluded. Preventing search engines from crawling private pages, keeping search engine bots from overwhelming server resources, and specifying the location of your sitemap are all legitimate functions of the robots.txt file. By disallowing access to private pages, website owners can protect sensitive information from being indexed by search engines. Additionally, managing server resources by limiting bot access helps maintain website performance and prevents potential server overload issues. Furthermore, specifying the location of the sitemap in the robots.txt file helps search engine bots efficiently discover and crawl the website’s pages, improving overall indexing and visibility in search engine results. Therefore, the correct answer is ‘Show search engine bots all the pages on a site.’