Why Google No Longer Recommends Blocking Auto-Translated Pages in Robots.txt
Hey, you know that Google has made a significant improvement that you should be aware of, especially if you own or manage a website with multilingual content. Recently, Google removed a section from its official guidelines that previously recommended blocking automatically translated pages using robots.txt.
What does this signify for your website, then? Does it change how Google handles auto-translated pages? And most importantly, is there anything that you have to do differently?
We will discuss the changes in detail in this post. We will cover what auto-translated content really is and what kind of SEO-friendly tips and tactics you can apply for managing translated pages in 2024, and provide more information.
Why Talk About an Old Update Now?
Now, one question might be coming to your mind: if this change was made in 2024, why are we discussing it now? So, the answer to your question is:
Although this is the update of last year, the main thing to be considered is that most people, such as content creators, website owners, and SEO experts, are unaware of this update. But with the increasing use of AI-based translation tools and growing interest in multilingual SEO, it has now become important for people who are associated with it to know about the updates in detail.
Because of this, outdated practices — like blocking translated pages via robots.txt — are still being followed. This blog aims to clarify the current guidance, highlight what’s changed, and explain how you can adapt your strategy to stay aligned with what Google actually recommends today.
In short, we’re not late — we’re helping more people catch up.
What Did Google Change in Its Guidelines?
In May 2024, Google quietly updated its documentation on managing multilingual and multi-regional websites. Previously, the guide suggested blocking all automatically translated pages using the robots.txt file.
However, that part of the documentation is now gone. Google confirmed this was a documentation-only change — in other words, Google’s crawling and indexing behavior hasn’t actually changed.
However, this minor modification signals a more significant shift in how Google views translated content. Now, Google is giving more priority to the content that is accurate, user-friendly, and helpful instead of focusing on how the content was created, manually or via automation, which doesn’t matter at all for Google.
What Are Auto-Translated Pages?
Auto-translated pages are versions of your web content that have been converted into another language using automated tools, such as:
- Google Translate widgets
- Translation plugins like Weglot or WPML
- AI-based translation services
The quality is the main concern for Google behind this update. Because what happens these translated pages vary greatly due to their automatic completion without human editing or proofreading. Google now discourages these auto-translated pages, especially those that are being generated in large quantities. As this content is auto-translated at a high scale but with no quality assurance then Google denied taking it and clearly said that it’s no longer going to accept content without any quality assurance.
Now, Google is no longer penalizing auto-translations just because they’re automated. The key is: are they helpful and accurate to the user?
Why Did Google Make This Change?
Google’s broader spam policy refresh aligns with Google’s latest update that came into effect in March 2024. During that upgrade, Google started to take action against "scaled content abuse."
The use of automation to produce vast amounts of thin, unoriginal, or low-quality content that offers little value to users is known as "scaled content abuse." This includes items such as:
- Spun articles
- Mass-generated AI content
- Bulk machine translations with no human review
However, Google made it clear that not all machine-translated content is spam. If your translated pages are readable, useful, and relevant to users, they are no longer automatically considered low quality.
So, by removing the robots.txt block suggestion, Google is sending a clear message: quality matters more than the method of creation.
What This Means for Website Owners
If you also handle a multilingual website, then this update is especially for you, as, according to this update, you have to change your strategy to stay relevant in the market. If you are also one of those who used to block translated pages in your robots.txt file simply because they were auto-generated.
Here’s what it means for you:
- If your auto-translated content is high quality, there’s no need to block it.
- If your translations are poor or confusing, Google may still treat them as spam.
- Instead of using robots.txt to block bad translations, use the noindex meta tag on specific pages.
Google now evaluates content based on usefulness and clarity — not on whether it was written or translated by a human.
Best Practices for Multilingual Websites (Post-Update)
To make the most of this policy shift, here are some actionable tips to manage your translated pages the right way:
- Use Hreflang Tags Correctly
Tell Google which language and region each version of a page is intended for. - Put Translations on Unique URLs
Structure your site using subdirectories or subdomains, like: example.com/en/, example.com/fr/ - Check Translation Quality
Even if you’re using AI or plugins, review important pages manually to fix errors or awkward phrasing. - Use Noindex for Low-Quality Pages
If a page is poorly translated or doesn’t add value, use a noindex tag instead of blocking it entirely. - Focus on User Experience
Make sure your translated content is not just accurate, but easy to navigate and understand.
Common Questions & Misunderstandings
Q: Is it okay to use AI or plugin-generated translations now?
A: Yes, as long as the content is high-quality and provides value to the user.
Q: Should I remove my robots.txt block on translated content?
A: If the content is helpful and accurate, yes. You don’t need to block it anymore.
Q: Will Google penalize my site for using automatic translations?
A: Only if the translations are low-quality, misleading, or spammy.
Conclusion
Google's latest update signals a new direction for how translated content is treated. Rather than penalizing pages simply because they were automatically translated, Google now looks at content quality and user value.
To keep your site in line with the latest best practices:
- Don't block useful translated pages with robots.txt.
- Make sure all content, whether human- or machine-generated, is clear and helpful.
- Use noindex for low-quality pages instead of blocking entire sections.
By focusing on value and quality, you'll be better positioned to succeed in Google's search results, no matter how your content is translated.
