Primary related guide or tool
Continue the workflow with this related LLMs.txt Kit resource.
/templates/ai-crawler-robots-txt-examples.htmlAI crawler policy for publishers
A publisher-focused checklist for balancing search visibility, content licensing, training-use controls, and crawl proof.
Fast answer
If your goal is to make a deliberate crawler policy, start with this framing: publishers have stronger licensing concerns and cannot use generic crawler advice blindly. The useful deliverable is a publisher crawler policy checklist.
This page is intentionally conservative. It treats crawler files, URL inspection, feeds, and server logs as discovery and measurement aids, not as guaranteed ranking levers.
When to use this playbook
Use it when publishers, newsletters, and editorial teams need a concrete next step and a page that can be linked from a hub, a community answer, a README, or a launch checklist. The page should help someone make a decision even if they never buy anything or contact the site owner.
The strongest pages in this topic cluster have three traits: they answer one narrow question, they include a copyable artifact, and they link to the relevant tool or proof page so the reader can act immediately.
Recommended workflow
- Define search, training, archive, and syndication goals.
- Document allowed and blocked user agents.
- Keep article pages indexable if search traffic matters.
- Review logs after policy changes.
Pre-publish checklist
- editorial goals documented.
- training-use stance clear.
- search crawlers reviewed.
- licensing page linked.
Copyable working note
Use this as a starting point in a ticket, README, client note, or launch log. Edit it to match the real site before publishing.
Search discovery: allowed
Training use: restricted
Archive access: reviewed
Licensing contact: URLWhat not to count as proof
Do not count this setup as traffic by itself. A submitted sitemap, an IndexNow receipt, a crawler log hit, or an indexing request can show discovery work, but none of them proves rankings, impressions, clicks, conversions, or AI citations. Organic proof should come from Search Console, analytics, qualified referral evidence, or server logs interpreted for the right purpose.
The main pitfall for this topic is: Using a single broad block that harms the publisher's own discovery goals.
Related resources
Next supporting resource
Continue the workflow with this related LLMs.txt Kit resource.
/guides/google-extended-vs-googlebot.htmlAll free tools
Continue the workflow with this related LLMs.txt Kit resource.
/tools/Proof dashboard
Continue the workflow with this related LLMs.txt Kit resource.
/proof.html