Sitemaps and robots.txt files are both crucial in search engine optimization, but they serve distinct purposes. A sitemap lists all the pages you want indexed, while robots.txt instructs search engine crawlers on what not to crawl.
Using both effectively can prevent duplicate content indexing, reduce crawl budget waste, and ensure the right pages are discovered and ranked. For example, block admin pages in robots.txt and list public content in the sitemap.
Neglecting either can result in poor indexation, missed pages, or unnecessary server load from bots crawling irrelevant content. Ensure both files are up-to-date and reflect your current SEO goals and website architecture.