AI search fix
Google-Other crawler: what it is and when it appears
Google-Other is a Google crawler user-agent category used for fetches outside classic Google Search crawling. It should not be treated as a direct synonym for Googlebot. If it appears in your logs, review requested paths, decide policy, and align robots plus edge rules with that intent. As with other crawlers, access policy should be explicit and monitored. Allowing or blocking Google-Other does not directly guarantee or prevent AI citation outcomes.
The common mistake is one-size-fits-all policy for every Google user-agent. Separate Googlebot, Google-Extended, and Google-Other decisions to avoid accidental conflicts.
| Crawler | Typical policy note |
|---|---|
| Googlebot | Primary Search crawler; usually allow for index coverage. |
| Google-Extended | Generative AI/training policy string; decide explicitly. |
| Google-Other | Non-search crawling category; review by use case. |
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Frequently asked questions
Is Google-Other required for Google Search rankings?
No direct requirement is documented. Googlebot remains the primary Search crawler.
Should Google-Other follow the same robots policy as Googlebot?
Not always. Decide based on your policy goals and document each crawler separately.
How do I verify Google-Other impact?
Track logs, status codes, and crawl behavior after policy changes; avoid decisions based on assumptions.
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