Technical SEO

FTP (File Transfer Protocol)

File Transfer Protocol (FTP) is a standard network protocol used to transfer files between a client and a server over a TCP/IP network. In web development and SEO contexts, FTP is used to upload, download, and manage website files on a hosting server. SFTP (Secure FTP) and FTPS are encrypted variants recommended for security.

FTP access is managed through clients like FileZilla, Cyberduck, or WinSCP. From an SEO perspective, FTP is used to upload and edit critical files such as robots.txt, .htaccess, and sitemaps. Server access via FTP should be secured to prevent unauthorized modifications that could harm site integrity.

Authority Links

Google Search Docs

How FTP is used to upload and manage robots.txt and sitemap files on web servers.

Moz Technical SEO Basics

Using FTP to securely manage critical SEO configuration files on Apache servers.

Related Terms

Technical SEO

Hosting & Server

Refers to the service for enabling users to access a website.

Technical SEO

Htaccess File

Refers to configuration files that allow restrictions and arrangements on a server.

Technical SEO

Robots.txt File

A plain-text file at the root of a domain that uses the Robots Exclusion Protocol to tell compliant crawlers which paths they may or may not request.

Technical SEO

SSL Certificate

Refers to a digital certificate that establishes a secure connection between websites and users.

FMP (First Meaningful Paint)Generic Domains (gTLD)