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Robots.txt

A file that tells web crawlers which pages they can or cannot access.

DEFINITION

What is Robots.txt?

Robots.txt is a text file at a website's root that provides instructions to web crawlers about which pages to access or ignore. With AI crawlers like GPTBot and ClaudeBot, robots.txt decisions affect whether your content can be used for AI training or retrieval. Understanding robots.txt implications is important for AI visibility strategy.

IN PRACTICE

We audit robots.txt configurations to ensure optimal AI crawler access.

WHY IT MATTERS

Blocking AI crawlers in robots.txt prevents your content from being used in AI responses. This is a fundamental AI visibility decision.

EXAMPLES
01

Allowing GPTBot access: 'User-agent: GPTBot Allow: /'

02

Blocking all AI crawlers from certain sections

03

Selectively managing crawler access

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Should I block AI crawlers?

If you want AI visibility, generally no. Some publishers block for content control reasons, but this sacrifices visibility.

Which AI crawlers should I allow?

GPTBot, ClaudeBot, PerplexityBot are key ones. We can audit your configuration for optimal AI access.

Ready to improve your AI visibility?

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