How long after fixing robots.txt will AI see my content?

AI systems typically re-crawl websites within days to a few weeks. ChatGPT and Perplexity may find your content within 1-2 weeks after robots.txt changes. To speed things up, ensure your sitemap is submitted and your content is being actively updated.

Will allowing AI crawlers hurt my SEO?

No, allowing AI crawlers has no negative impact on Google rankings. AI bots and Google's main crawler (Googlebot) are separate. You can allow AI crawlers while maintaining the same Google SEO. In fact, Google-Extended specifically controls AI features, not search rankings.

Can I allow AI crawlers but protect certain content?

Yes, use selective rules in robots.txt. Allow AI on your blog and public pages while blocking sensitive directories. Example: 'Allow: /blog/' and 'Disallow: /members-only/'. This gives you visibility for public content while protecting private areas.

What's the difference between GPTBot and Google-Extended?

GPTBot is OpenAI's crawler for ChatGPT. Google-Extended is Google's crawler specifically for AI features (like AI Overviews and Bard/Gemini). Blocking Google-Extended doesn't affect regular Google Search rankings—it only affects Google's AI features.

robots.txt for AI: Stop Accidentally Blocking ChatGPT

The Hidden Reason AI Can't Find Your Website

Last updated: January 2026

There's a file on your website that might be making you completely invisible to AI search engines. It's called robots.txt, and if it's configured wrong, ChatGPT, Claude, and Perplexity literally cannot see your content.

This is the #1 technical issue blocking AI visibility, and it takes less than 5 minutes to fix.

What is robots.txt?

robots.txt is a text file that tells web crawlers which parts of your website they can and cannot access. It lives at yourwebsite.com/robots.txt.

When any bot—Google, ChatGPT, Perplexity—visits your site, the first thing it checks is robots.txt. If robots.txt says "don't crawl," the bot obeys.

The AI Crawler Problem

Many websites have robots.txt rules that accidentally block AI crawlers. This happens because:

Default settings: Some platforms block bots by default
Old configurations: Rules set before AI search existed
Security concerns: Overly aggressive bot blocking
Copy-paste mistakes: Incorrectly configured rules

How to Check Your robots.txt

Step 1: Find Your File

Go to: yourwebsite.com/robots.txt

You'll see something like:

User-agent: 
Allow: /

Sitemap: https://yourwebsite.com/sitemap.xml

Step 2: Look for AI Crawler Rules

Search for these user agents:

GPTBot (ChatGPT/OpenAI)

Claude-Web (Anthropic's Claude)

PerplexityBot (Perplexity AI)

Google-Extended (Google AI features)

CCBot (Common Crawl, used by many AI systems)

Amazonbot (Amazon/Alexa AI)

Step 3: Identify Problems
Problem: Explicit blocks
User-agent: GPTBot Disallow: /
This completely blocks ChatGPT. Problem: Wildcard blocks

User-agent: 
Disallow: /

This blocks ALL bots, including AI crawlers. Problem: Missing AI permissions If AI bots aren't mentioned and you have restrictive rules, they may be blocked by default.

The Correct Configuration

Here's a robots.txt that allows AI crawlers while maintaining reasonable controls:

# Allow all crawlers by default User-agent: Allow: / # Explicitly allow AI crawlers User-agent: GPTBot Allow: / User-agent: Claude-Web Allow: / User-agent: PerplexityBot Allow: / User-agent: Google-Extended Allow: / User-agent: Amazonbot Allow: / # Block sensitive directories (adjust for your site) User-agent: Disallow: /admin/ Disallow: /private/ Disallow: /api/

# Sitemap location Sitemap: https://yourwebsite.com/sitemap.xml

Platform-Specific Instructions

WordPress

Install Yoast SEO or Rank Math plugin
Go to SEO → Tools → File Editor
Edit robots.txt
Add AI crawler permissions
Save changes

Shopify

Go to Online Store → Preferences
Scroll to robots.txt.liquid
Click "Edit"
Add AI crawler rules
Save

Squarespace

Go to Settings → Advanced → Code Injection
Squarespace manages robots.txt automatically
Contact support for custom rules

Next.js / Custom Sites

Create or edit public/robots.txt
Add AI crawler permissions
Deploy changes

What If You Want to Block AI?

Some businesses have legitimate reasons to block AI crawlers:

Protecting proprietary content
Copyright concerns
Competitive intelligence worries

If you choose to block:

User-agent: GPTBot Disallow: /

User-agent: Claude-Web Disallow: /

Understand the tradeoff: You gain content protection but lose AI search visibility. Your competitors who allow AI crawlers will be cited instead of you.

Selective Permissions

You can allow AI crawlers on some content while blocking others:

# Allow AI on blog content User-agent: GPTBot Allow: /blog/ Disallow: /

# Block AI from product pages but allow blog User-agent: GPTBot Allow: /blog/ Allow: /about/ Disallow: /products/

Testing Your Changes

After updating robots.txt:

1. Verify the file is live

Visit yourwebsite.com/robots.txt and confirm your changes appear.

2. Use Google's Testing Tool

Go to Google Search Console → robots.txt Tester Enter different URLs to test access.

3. Wait and Re-Test AI Visibility

AI systems will re-crawl your site within days to weeks. After 1-2 weeks, test by asking ChatGPT about your content.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Mistake 1: Forgetting the trailing slash

# Wrong Disallow: /admin

# Correct Disallow: /admin/

Mistake 2: Case sensitivity

User-agent names are case-sensitive. Use exact capitalization:

GPTBot (not gptbot)
Claude-Web (not claude-web)

Mistake 3: Conflicting rules

If you have multiple rules for the same bot, the most specific one applies. Be intentional about order.

Mistake 4: Not having a sitemap

Always include your sitemap URL—it helps all crawlers find your content:

Sitemap: https://yourwebsite.com/sitemap.xml

Immediate Action

Check your robots.txt now: yourwebsite.com/robots.txt
Look for AI bot blocks: Search for GPTBot, Claude-Web, PerplexityBot
Fix any issues: Add explicit Allow rules
Verify changes are live: Refresh and confirm

This single fix can take your AI visibility from zero to accessible in under 5 minutes.

→ Check Your Complete AI Visibility Score

After fixing robots.txt, run a GEO audit to see what other optimizations will improve your AI search presence.