@mike

To fix a blocked robots.txt issue in WordPress, follow these steps:

Identify the issue: Start by checking if the robots.txt file is actually causing the problem. You can do this by accessing the robots.txt file directly in your browser (yourdomain.com/robots.txt) and checking its contents.
Verify WordPress settings: Log in to your WordPress dashboard and go to "Settings" > "Reading." Ensure that the "Search Engine Visibility" option is unchecked. If it is checked, search engines will be discouraged from indexing your site.
Check plugins and themes: Some SEO or security plugins might have settings that affect the robots.txt file. Review the settings of such plugins to ensure they are not causing the problem. Similarly, check if your theme has any customization affecting the robots.txt file.
Use a robots.txt plugin: If you are using a robots.txt plugin, check its settings to ensure it is not blocking search engines inadvertently. Configure the plugin as needed and regenerate the robots.txt file.
Update the robots.txt file manually: If you don't have a robots.txt plugin, or if the existing file is blocking search engines, you can manually edit the robots.txt file. Access your WordPress root directory using an FTP client or file manager, and look for the robots.txt file. Open it for editing and make the necessary changes. Ensure the file allows search engine bots access to the necessary areas of your site.
Clear cache: After making changes to the robots.txt file, clear any caching plugins or CDN caches that you may have, as they could be serving outdated versions of the file.
Test the robots.txt file: Use online tools or Google's Search Console to ensure that the updated robots.txt file is not blocking search engines. These tools will provide insights into how search engines are crawling and indexing your site.

By following these steps, you should be able to fix any issues with a blocked robots.txt file in WordPress.

#fixed