ChatGPT, Google’s AI Overviews, and Perplexity are just a few AI tools that are changing the way we find local services and do business online. There is a growing discussion about whether or not you should let AI bots crawl your website. You may have seen options to stop AI bots crawl and search your website data. From protecting your intellectual property to boosting your brand visibility, the choice has real implications for your business.
So you might be wondering what’s actually happening, what each option means, and how to find the right balance.
Blocking AI Bot Crawlers: What Happens?
There are several AI-specific bots now crawling the web. The most common include:
- GPTBot – used by OpenAI (ChatGPT)
- Google Extended – used for AI Overviews
- PerplexityBot – used by Perplexity.ai
By updating your robots.txt file, you can block AI bots from crawling your site.
Pros of Blocking AI Crawlers
- Protects your content from being used to train AI models
Your original words, images, or ideas won’t be absorbed into large language models, at least not by the bots you’ve blocked, which helps in indexing your website properly. - Maintains tighter control of your intellectual property (IP)
If you have premium, copyrighted, or brand-sensitive content, this can be a protective layer against AI crawls.
Cons of Blocking AI Web Crawlers
- You won’t be cited in AI answers, which is why some people are using strategies to block AI.
If AI bots can’t see your content, they can’t recommend or summarise it. Your brand might miss out on valuable exposure. - Lost visibility in AI search tools
Platforms like Perplexity or Google’s AI Overviews are increasingly where users find answers to their queries about generative AI. Blocked sites are less likely to appear in summaries generated by AI companies.
The Grey Area: Training vs. Retrieval
This isn’t a black-and-white issue, because blocking training doesn’t always stop referencing.
Example:
Let’s say you block GPTBot. ChatGPT won’t train on your site directly. But if someone shares your content on Reddit or Medium, and those platforms allow AI bots, your content could still be summarised and cited by generative AI tools like ChatGPT.
So even if you block your site, parts of your content may still find their way into AI answers, indirectly affecting your website data.
Platform-Specific Impact
Google AI Overviews (Search Generative Experience):
- Pulls data from Google Search index + Google Extended
- If you block Google Extended, your site won’t show up in AI-generated summaries if you block all AI crawlers by default, ensuring better control over indexing your website.
- But You should still appear in standard search results.
ChatGPT and Perplexity:
- Use their own crawlers (GPTBot, PerplexityBot) to understand how they operate when you want to block AI.
- If blocked, your site won’t appear directly in responses.
- Indirect summaries are still possible from secondary sources.
Rule of Thumb
If your goal is visibility, leads, and citations, consider how blocking AI crawls might affect your website traffic.
→ You website owners probably want to allow certain AI crawlers by default. AI bots to crawl your site.
If your goal is IP protection and control
→ Blocking bots makes sense, but you’ll need to accept reduced exposure in AI-driven discovery tools.
A Smarter Option: Use a Hybrid Strategy
A lot of site owners are being picky about whose AI crawlers they let in, which can help people see their material. Website owners should think about letting AI bots crawl public-facing information to make it easier to find. To keep your website data safe, block AI bots on critical information so they can not crawl it. You can then keep your material safe while still getting people to visit your website. This is called “marketing reach” and “content control.”
| Allow Bots | Restrict Bots |
|---|---|
| Blog posts | Premium resources |
| Portfolio work | Client-specific documentation |
| Articles | Gated assets or training materials |
How to set up your robots.txt file
Robots.txt rules can be used to block whole folders or paths.
Using meta tags and headers can help search engines find your website’s content more easily. to stop crawling or indexing on a page-by-page basis
Do you need help making your site work better with AI platforms? We can help you set up a simple system that fits your brand and goals, including how to stop unwanted crawlers from getting in.
AI is not going away. It is becoming a bigger part of the customer journey. At Brighter Websites, we help small businesses deal with these changes with confidence, whether they are
Creating SEO plans that work with AI
It is very important for website owners to protect their content without losing reach. We’re Ballarat-based, Australia-wide, and just a phone call away for those who want to block AI from their content.
📞Want to protect your content and grow your visibility?
Book a free strategy call or contact our support team.
