AI Crawler Control: Best Practices for 2024

Learn essential best practices for controlling AI crawlers like GPTBot, Claude, Perplexity, and Firecrawl on your website in 2024.

Understanding AI Crawler Landscape

Modern AI crawlers include:

- **GPTBot** - OpenAI's crawler for ChatGPT

- **Claude-Web** - Anthropic's Claude crawler

- **PerplexityBot** - Perplexity AI search

- **Firecrawl** - AI-powered web scraping

- **Google-Extended** - Google AI training

- **FacebookBot** - Meta AI crawlers

Core Best Practices

1. Start Permissive, Then Restrict

Begin by allowing most access, then refine based on monitoring:

Initial configuration

User-agent: *

Allow: /

Disallow: /admin

Disallow: /api

2. Protect Sensitive Content

Always block these areas:

User-agent: *

Disallow: /admin/*

Disallow: /api/*

Disallow: /private/*

Disallow: /user/*

Disallow: /account/*

Disallow: /checkout/*

Disallow: /cart/*

Disallow: /.env

Disallow: /config/*

3. Set Appropriate Crawl Delays

Balance server load with crawler needs:

High-capacity servers

User-agent: GPTBot

Crawl-delay: 5

Medium-capacity

User-agent: Claude-Web

Crawl-delay: 10

Limited resources

User-agent: *

Crawl-delay: 15

4. Use Crawler-Specific Rules

Different crawlers have different purposes:

OpenAI GPTBot - Training data

User-agent: GPTBot

Allow: /blog

Allow: /docs

Disallow: /admin

Perplexity - Real-time search

User-agent: PerplexityBot

Allow: /

Disallow: /admin

Crawl-delay: 5

Firecrawl - Structured scraping

User-agent: Firecrawl

Allow: /products

Allow: /blog

Disallow: /checkout

Site-Specific Strategies

E-commerce Sites

User-agent: *

Allow product information

Allow: /products/*

Allow: /categories/*

Protect customer areas

Disallow: /checkout/*

Disallow: /cart/*

Disallow: /account/*

Disallow: /admin/*

Prevent price scraping (optional)

Disallow: /api/prices/*

Crawl-delay: 10

Content Publishers

User-agent: *

Maximize content visibility

Allow: /articles/*

Allow: /news/*

Allow: /blog/*

Protect premium content

Disallow: /premium/*

Disallow: /subscribers/*

Allow archive (lower priority)

Allow: /archive/*

Crawl-delay: 5

SaaS Platforms

User-agent: *

Public documentation

Allow: /docs/*

Allow: /blog/*

Allow: /pricing

Protect application

Disallow: /app/*

Disallow: /dashboard/*

Disallow: /api/*

Crawl-delay: 8

Corporate Websites

User-agent: *

Public information

Allow: /

Allow: /about

Allow: /contact

Allow: /careers

Internal resources

Disallow: /intranet/*

Disallow: /internal/*

Disallow: /staff/*

Crawl-delay: 10

Monitoring & Optimization

Track Crawler Activity

Monitor your server logs:

Check for AI crawlers

grep -E "GPTBot|Claude|Perplexity|Firecrawl" /var/log/nginx/access.log

Count requests by crawler

awk '/GPTBot/ {count++} END {print count}' /var/log/nginx/access.log

Analyze Patterns

Look for:

- Excessive request rates

- Blocked path attempts

- Peak access times

- Bandwidth usage

Adjust Based on Data

Update rules monthly:

1. Review crawler logs

2. Identify issues (high load, blocked pages)

3. Adjust rules accordingly

4. Test changes

5. Monitor results

Common Pitfalls to Avoid

❌ Blocking All AI Crawlers

Don't do this unless absolutely necessary:

Too restrictive

User-agent: *

Disallow: /

**Result:** Zero AI visibility

❌ No Crawl Delays

Setting no delays can overload servers:

Missing crawl-delay

User-agent: GPTBot

Allow: /

Should include: Crawl-delay: 10

❌ Overly Complex Rules

Keep it simple:

Too complex

User-agent: GPTBot

Allow: /blog/2024/*

Disallow: /blog/2024/01/*

Allow: /blog/2024/01/featured/*

... 50 more rules

**Better:** Use broader rules

❌ Not Testing Configuration

Always test before deploying:

1. Verify file accessibility

2. Check syntax

3. Test with crawler tools

4. Monitor after deployment

❌ Forgetting to Update

Review and update regularly:

- Monthly for active sites

- Quarterly for stable sites

- After major site changes

Security Considerations

Prevent Scraper Abuse

Rate limiting

Crawl-delay: 10

Block aggressive crawlers

User-agent: BadBot

Disallow: /

Protect Personal Data

Block user data

Disallow: /users/*

Disallow: /profiles/*

Disallow: /api/users/*

Monitor Compliance

Check if crawlers respect your rules:

1. Review access logs

2. Identify violations

3. Contact crawler operators

4. Implement stricter rules if needed

Performance Optimization

Bandwidth Management

Distribute load

User-agent: GPTBot

Crawl-delay: 10

User-agent: Claude-Web

Crawl-delay: 12

User-agent: PerplexityBot

Crawl-delay: 8

Peak Time Handling

Consider blocking during peak hours:

Longer delays during business hours

(Note: Not all crawlers support time-based rules)

User-agent: *

Crawl-delay: 20

Compliance & Legal

GDPR Considerations

Block AI crawlers from personal data:

User-agent: *

Disallow: /personal/*

Disallow: /gdpr-protected/*

Copyright Protection

Protect copyrighted content:

User-agent: *

Disallow: /premium-content/*

Disallow: /paid-articles/*

Quick Implementation Checklist

✅ Create LLMS.txt file

✅ Block admin and API paths

✅ Set crawl delays (5-15 seconds)

✅ Add sitemap reference

✅ Test file accessibility

✅ Deploy to root directory

✅ Monitor crawler activity

✅ Review monthly

✅ Update as needed

✅ Document changes

Generate Your Configuration

Use our [free generator](/) to implement these best practices:

1. Select appropriate crawlers

2. Configure based on your site type

3. Apply security best practices

4. Download and deploy

5. Monitor and adjust

[Create Optimized LLMS.txt Now](/)

Conclusion

Effective AI crawler control balances accessibility with security. Follow these best practices to optimize crawler behavior while protecting your site.

Start with our [generator](/) to implement professional crawler controls in minutes!