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Virtual Robots.txt

By Marios Alexandrou

Site Administration & Utilities / URL Redirects & 301 Management

Reviewed by Omar Dabbas

Trusted WordPress expert with 20+ years of experience evaluating plugins for the WP ecosystem.

Virtual Robots.txt Review - In-Depth Analysis

Virtual Robots.txt simplifies the creation of a robots.txt file for your site. Easily manage it from the plugin settings page.

Performance Overview

WPS Score

7.14/10

User Rating

4.3/5 (based on 10+ reviews)

Active Installations

40,000+

Update Frequency

Below Average It is calculated using the weighted average of same category plugins.

Security Score

5 / 10 (Medium Risk) It is calculated using the weighted average of all versions.

What It Does

Virtual Robots.txt is an easy automated solution to creating and managing a robots.txt file for your site. Instead of mucking about with FTP, files, permissions, etc., just upload and activate the plugin and you're done.

By default, the Virtual Robots.txt plugin allows access to the parts of WordPress that good bots like Google need to access. Other parts are blocked.

If the plugin detects an existing XML sitemap file, a reference to it will be automatically added to your robots.txt file.

Comparing to Alternatives

Virtual Robots.txt is a straightforward plugin for managing your robots.txt file, with several alternatives offering similar or enhanced features.

Top alternatives

Strengths

Simple and easy to use interface
Pre-configured to exclude common directories from search engine indexing
Responsive and helpful customer support
Works reliably for basic robots.txt management
Highly rated by most users

Weaknesses

Does not include XML sitemap in robots.txt as expected by some users
Automatically blocks certain directories without user consent
Inserts promotional line in robots.txt without an option to disable
Has a history of a medium severity security vulnerability fixed in version 1.10

User Sentiment Analysis

With an overall rating of 4.3 out of 5 from 10 reviews, most users appreciate the plugin's simplicity and effectiveness, though a minority express dissatisfaction.

Positive highlights

"Great and helpful customer service" – treysuttle
"Works great and easy to use and customise" – yorgosx
"Simple and easy. Works perfectly." – Denis Creative
"This plugin is working great for me" – commexjimmy
"I do highly recommend it." – commexjimmy

Common complaints

XML sitemap not included in robots.txt as described
Blocks certain directories without asking
Inserts promotional line at the top of the robots.txt file without an option to disable

Weaknesses

Security vulnerability fixed in version 1.10
Lack of some expected features like sitemap inclusion
Automatic blocking behavior may surprise users

Who Should Use This?

Best for

Users seeking a simple, no-frills plugin to manage their robots.txt file with some default exclusions and who appreciate responsive support.

Not ideal for

Users who require automatic inclusion of XML sitemaps in robots.txt, full control over all inserted content, or those concerned about past security vulnerabilities.

Pricing & Value

Free version includes

The free version offers basic robots.txt management with default exclusions and customization options.

Final Verdict

Virtual Robots.txt is a well-rated plugin that provides essential robots.txt management features with ease of use and good customer support. However, it falls short in some areas such as automatic directory blocking, lack of sitemap inclusion, and inserting promotional text without user control. The plugin also had a medium severity security vulnerability that has since been fixed.

For users needing a straightforward solution and who can overlook these limitations, it is a solid choice. Those requiring more advanced features or tighter security assurances may want to consider the available alternatives.