Unique: AppleBot Will Listen As If It Is GoogleBot

Dec 2, 2015 - 8:23 am 0 by
Filed Under Apple App Store

apple search algorithm

We covered the AppleBot directives documentation before, back in May. But what I didn't know is that AppleBot is unique in that if you do not make any mention of directives for AppleBot but you do for GoogleBot, it will follow the GoogleBot directives you set up. Bing, Yahoo, etc, do not do the same, they follow general directives or directives detailed for their bots but not for GoogleBot.

John Mueller said this on Google+:

If you have a well-crafted & complex robots.txt file (e.g., longer than two lines), keep in mind that Applebot will follow Googlebot directives unless you explicitly set up a user-agent section for it. I'm not aware of other crawlers doing something similar, so I thought it would be worth sharing.

I didn't know it was a unique thing but John would know and he mentioned it.

The official AppleBot page says so:

If robots instructions don't mention Applebot but do mention Googlebot, the Apple robot will follow Googlebot instructions.

This is specifically for Universal Search and App Deep Linking I believe - at least for now.

Forum discussion at Google+.

 

Popular Categories

The Pulse of the search community

Search Video Recaps

 
Video Details More Videos Subscribe to Videos

Most Recent Articles

Search Forum Recap

Daily Search Forum Recap: March 28, 2025

Mar 28, 2025 - 10:00 am
Search Video Recaps

Search News Buzz Video Recap: Google Core Update Done, Will Site Recover, AI Mode Expands, Google Ads PMax Search Terms & More

Mar 28, 2025 - 8:01 am
Google Maps

Google Local Knowledge Panel With Promotion Clipable Coupons

Mar 28, 2025 - 7:51 am
Google Maps

Google AI Overviews Itinerary, Lens Tour Guide, Maps Screenshot & Track Prices

Mar 28, 2025 - 7:41 am
Google Ads

Google Tests Contactless Label In Place Of Curbside Pickup

Mar 28, 2025 - 7:31 am
Google Ads

Google Ads WhatsApp Conversation Goals Get Diagnostics & More

Mar 28, 2025 - 7:21 am
Previous Story: Google's Near Parameter Still Lets You See Results By Specific Location