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Robots.txt for AI Crawlers | Melbourne Business GuideRobots.txt for AI Crawlers | Melbourne Business GuideJanuary 6, 2026Robots.txt for AI Crawlers | Melbourne Business GuideRobots.txt for AI Crawlers | Melbourne Business Guide9 min read

Robots.txt for AI Crawlers: What Melbourne Businesses Need to Know

Configure your robots.txt to balance AI visibility with content protection. Technical guide for the AI search era.

Robots.txtAI CrawlersTechnical SEO
Robots.txt for AI Crawlers | Melbourne Business GuideRobots.txt for AI Crawlers | Melbourne Business Guide Robots.txt for AI Crawlers | Melbourne Business Guide Robots.txt for AI Crawlers | Melbourne Business Guide # robots.txt User-agent: Googlebot Allow: / User-agent: GPTBot Allow: / User-agent: Google-Extended Disallow: / User-agent: ClaudeBot Allow: / CONTROL AI CRAWLER ACCESS

AI crawlers are visiting your website—whether you know it or not. For Melbourne businesses, understanding how to configure robots.txt for these new crawlers is essential for balancing visibility with content protection.

Key AI Crawlers to Know

  • GPTBot – OpenAI's crawler for ChatGPT
  • Google-Extended – Google's AI training crawler (separate from Googlebot)
  • ClaudeBot – Anthropic's crawler
  • PerplexityBot – Perplexity AI's crawler
  • CCBot – Common Crawl (used by many AI trainers)

Important Distinction: Blocking Google-Extended stops AI training but doesn't affect regular Google search indexing. Googlebot and Google-Extended are separate crawlers.

Configuration Examples

Allow All AI Crawlers (Maximum Visibility)

User-agent: * Allow: /

Block AI Training, Allow Search

User-agent: Googlebot Allow: / User-agent: Google-Extended Disallow: / User-agent: GPTBot Disallow: /

Allow Specific AI Platforms

User-agent: GPTBot Allow: / User-agent: ClaudeBot Allow: / User-agent: Google-Extended Disallow: /

Strategic Considerations

Most businesses benefit from allowing AI crawler access for visibility in AI search platforms. Consider blocking only if you have specific content protection concerns.

For more technical SEO guidance, explore our complete optimisation guides.

Frequently Asked Questions

What AI crawlers should I know about for robots.txt?Robots.txt for AI Crawlers | Melbourne Business Guide

Key AI crawlers include GPTBot (OpenAI/ChatGPT), Google-Extended (Gemini/AI training), ClaudeBot (Anthropic), PerplexityBot, and CCBot (Common Crawl). Each can be controlled separately via robots.txt directives.

Should I block AI crawlers in robots.txt?Robots.txt for AI Crawlers | Melbourne Business Guide

It depends on your goals. Blocking AI crawlers prevents your content from training AI models but may reduce AI search visibility. Most businesses benefit from allowing crawling for visibility while monitoring usage.

How do I allow Google search but block AI training?Robots.txt for AI Crawlers | Melbourne Business Guide

Use 'User-agent: Google-Extended' with 'Disallow: /' to block AI/Gemini training while keeping 'User-agent: Googlebot' allowed for regular search indexing. Google respects this separation.

Will blocking AI crawlers hurt my SEO?Robots.txt for AI Crawlers | Melbourne Business Guide

Blocking AI training crawlers (like Google-Extended) won't affect traditional Google rankings. However, blocking all AI access may reduce visibility in AI Overviews and reduce chances of being cited by AI assistants.

How do I check which AI bots are crawling my site?Robots.txt for AI Crawlers | Melbourne Business Guide

Check your server logs for user-agent strings containing GPTBot, Google-Extended, ClaudeBot, PerplexityBot, etc. Many hosting platforms and CDNs provide bot traffic reports that identify AI crawlers.

Explore More Topics

AI SEO MelbourneAI Content StrategyLocal SEO MelbourneTechnical SEOAI Search optimisation

Frequently Asked Questions

Should I allow AI crawlers like GPTBot in my robots.txt?

For most Melbourne businesses seeking AI visibility, yes—allow AI crawlers access to your content. Blocking GPTBot (ChatGPT), Anthropic-ai (Claude), or Google-Extended (AI training) prevents these systems from accessing your content for citation and training. However, some businesses with proprietary content may choose to block AI crawlers strategically.

What AI crawlers should I know about?

Key AI crawlers include GPTBot (OpenAI/ChatGPT), Anthropic-ai (Claude), Google-Extended (Google AI training), CCBot (Common Crawl), and Perplexity-Bot. Each has different purposes—some are for real-time citation (GPTBot), while others are for training data (Google-Extended). Understand each before making blocking decisions.

How do I configure robots.txt for optimal AI visibility?

For maximum AI visibility, ensure your robots.txt doesn't block important content or AI crawlers. Use specific disallow rules only for pages you genuinely want hidden (admin areas, duplicate content). Test your configuration using robots.txt testing tools and monitor your AI visibility after any changes.

Can blocking AI crawlers protect my content from AI training?

Blocking crawlers like Google-Extended can prevent your content from being used in AI training, but it may also reduce your visibility in AI search results. This is a trade-off many businesses face. For most Melbourne local businesses, the benefits of AI visibility outweigh concerns about AI training use.

Will robots.txt changes immediately affect AI visibility?

Robots.txt changes aren't immediate—AI systems need to re-crawl your site to recognise new permissions. Changes typically take effect within days to weeks. If you've previously blocked AI crawlers and want to restore visibility, expect 2-4 weeks before you see improvement in AI recommendations.

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