> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.butternut.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# SEO

> Configure robots.txt, sitemap.xml, Google verification, and per-page metadata for better search visibility.

Configure your website for better search engine rankings and visibility.

## Prerequisites

* **Paid subscription**
* Recommended: a **custom domain** linked (for full SEO controls like robots.txt/sitemap)

## How to access

Navigate to **Dashboard → \[Your Website] → SEO**.

## What’s automatically optimized

Butternut automatically handles many SEO fundamentals, including:

* Mobile optimization
* SSL (after domain linking)
* Performance best practices
* Optimized images
* Schema markup
* Semantic website structure
* SEO-friendly AI content patterns

## SEO controls

### Robots.txt

Robots.txt tells search engines what to crawl/index.

How to edit:

1. Expand **Robots.txt**
2. Update the content
3. Click **Update**

Default example:

```txt theme={null}
User-agent: *
Allow:/*
Disallow:
Sitemap: https://yourdomain.com/sitemap.xml
```

Common use cases:

* Allow all: `Allow: /*`
* Block a page path: `Disallow: /private-page`
* Block all: `Disallow: /`

Note: This typically requires a linked custom domain.

### Sitemap.xml

Sitemaps list your site’s pages for search engines to discover.

How to edit:

1. Expand **Sitemap.xml**
2. Update the XML
3. Click **Update**

Example structure:

```xml theme={null}
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<urlset xmlns="http://www.sitemaps.org/schemas/sitemap/0.9">
  <url>
    <loc>https://yourdomain.com</loc>
  </url>
  <url>
    <loc>https://yourdomain.com/about</loc>
  </url>
</urlset>
```

Note: This typically requires a linked custom domain.

### Google verification (Search Console)

1. In [Google Search Console](https://search.google.com/search-console), add your website.
2. Choose **HTML tag** verification.
3. Copy the verification ID (the value inside `content="..."`).
4. Paste it into **Google verification ID**.
5. Click **Update**, then return to Search Console and click **Verify**.

## Pages metadata

For each page, you can edit:

* **Title** (best practice: \~50–60 characters)
* **Description** (best practice: \~150–160 characters)

How to update:

1. Expand **Pages Metadata**
2. Choose a page
3. Edit Title and Description
4. Click **Update**

## Best practices

* Use unique titles/descriptions per page.
* Include your primary keyword naturally.
* Keep robots.txt simple; don’t accidentally block important pages.
* Submit your sitemap in Search Console after domain setup.

## Troubleshooting

### “Domain linking required”

Some controls require a custom domain. Set up domains first in:

* [Domain Management (Dashboard)](/dashboard-features/domain-management)

### Changes not showing in Google

* Crawling can take 1–2 weeks.
* Submit your sitemap in Search Console and be patient.

**Last updated:** January 2026\
**Version:** 1.0