Robots.txt: all AI Crawlers

AI bots and crawlers play a crucial role in how websites are explored and indexed by conversational agents like ChatGPT, Bing Chat, or Perplexity AI. While traditional search engines (such as Google) focus on links and specific pages, Large Language Models (LLMs) rely on data from numerous sources to deliver relevant responses.

To ensure that AI bots can access your content optimally, proper configuration of the robots.txt file is essential. This file controls how robots navigate your site and determines which parts of your content are accessible or restricted.

Why configure your Robots.txt for AI bots?

The robots.txt file serves as a guide for crawlers, specifying the rules for exploring your site. If configured incorrectly, you risk either blocking important bots or allowing access to sensitive or unnecessary data.

AI bots, which power conversational agents, summarization tools, and AI-driven search engines, use available website data to provide accurate responses. By optimizing your robots.txt, you can:

• Control which sections of your site are accessible to maximize visibility for strategic content.
• Facilitate the exploration of structured content, which is crucial for AI agents to correctly interpret your information.
• Avoid indexing errors caused by conflicting or unclear instructions.
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Optimal configuration example

Here’s an example of a robots.txt file that allows AI bots to explore public parts of your site while protecting sensitive sections:

User-agent: *
Disallow: /admin/
Disallow: /private-data/

User-agent: GPTBot  
Allow: /  

User-agent: CCBot  
Allow: /  

User-agent: BingAI  
Allow: /  


This setup ensures that AI bots can access the necessary parts of your site while restricting sensitive directories.
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Why you shouldn’t block AI bots

It may be tempting to block AI bots, especially if you’re concerned about your content being used without attribution. However, blocking bots like GPTBot or BingAI can have negative consequences:

1. Loss of visibility in AI-driven environments: AI bots explore websites to provide relevant responses within tools like ChatGPT or Bing Chat. If your site is blocked, you miss out on opportunities to appear in these responses.
2. Reduced qualified traffic: Users of conversational agents are often highly engaged and searching for specific information. Blocking AI bots prevents access to a potential channel of highly targeted visitors.
3. Decreased web authority: The information extracted by AI enhances your brand’s visibility. Sites that block crawlers risk losing influence in AI-driven ecosystems.

In summary, instead of blocking AI bots, it’s better to configure your robots.txt to optimize what they can explore and index.

List of key AI Agents to include in your Robots.txt

There are numerous AI bots, but here’s a (non-exhaustive) list of the most important crawlers and agents to consider, categorized for clarity:
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Ensure you review your site's specific needs before allowing or restricting bots.
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Optimize your robots.txt now

Optimizing your robots.txt is an essential step in any AI optimization strategy (GAIO). By correctly configuring this file, you can maximize your site’s visibility to AI agents while controlling sensitive or confidential parts of your content.

We Can Help You:

• Configure your robots.txt file for AI.
• Optimize your file without disrupting your existing SEO setup.
• Update your strategy to account for new AI trends and evolutions.

Contact us today to get started!

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