Legal & Ethics
Can I opt out of crawling without harming SEO?
Updated January 12, 2026GEO Expert Team
Summary
Blocking AI bots is separate from blocking Googlebot/Bingbot. DuckDuckGo states DuckAssistBot opt-out does not impact organic rankings. You can block AI-specific crawlers while maintaining traditional search visibility.
Detailed Answer
Blocking AI bots is separate from blocking Googlebot/Bingbot. DuckDuckGo, for example, states DuckAssistBot opt-out does not impact organic rankings.
Separate crawlers:
- Traditional search: Googlebot, Bingbot
- AI training/search: GPTBot, ClaudeBot, etc.
Safe to block (won't affect SEO):
- GPTBot
- ClaudeBot
- Training-specific crawlers
Should NOT block (affects SEO):
- Googlebot
- Bingbot
- Other search engine crawlers
Example safe configuration:
```
User-agent: GPTBot
Disallow: /
User-agent: Googlebot
Allow: /
```
Result: Traditional SEO unaffected, AI training opt-out achieved.
opt-outseo-impactcrawlersblocking