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Google’s Gary Illyes answered a question astir the non-search features that the GoogleOther crawler supports, past added a caution astir the consequences of blocking GoogleOther.
What Is GoogleOther?
GoogleOther is simply a generic crawler created by Google for the assorted purposes that autumn extracurricular of those of bots that specialize for Search, Ads, Video, Images, News, Desktop and Mobile. It tin beryllium utilized by interior teams astatine Google for probe and improvement successful narration to assorted products.
The authoritative statement of GoogleOther is:
“GoogleOther is the generic crawler that whitethorn beryllium utilized by assorted merchandise teams for fetching publically accessible contented from sites. For example, it whitethorn beryllium utilized for one-off crawls for interior probe and development.”
Something that whitethorn beryllium astonishing is that determination are really 3 kinds of GoogleOther crawlers.
Three Kinds Of GoogleOther Crawlers
- GoogleOther
Generic crawler for nationalist URLs - GoogleOther-Image
Optimized to crawl nationalist representation URLs - GoogleOther-Video
Optimized to crawl nationalist video URLs
All 3 GoogleOther crawlers tin beryllium utilized for probe and improvement purposes. That’s conscionable 1 intent that Google publically acknowledges that each 3 versions of GoogleOther could beryllium utilized for.
What Non-Search Features Does GoogleOther Support?
Google doesn’t accidental what circumstantial non-search features GoogleOther supports, astir apt due to the fact that it doesn’t truly “support” a circumstantial feature. It exists for probe and improvement crawling which could beryllium successful enactment of a caller merchandise oregon an betterment successful a existent product, it’s a highly unfastened and generic purpose.
This is the question asked that Gary narrated:
“What non-search features does GoogleOther crawling support?”
Gary Illyes answered:
“This is simply a precise topical question, and I deliberation it is simply a precise bully question. Besides what’s successful the nationalist I don’t person much to share.
GoogleOther is the generic crawler that whitethorn beryllium utilized by assorted merchandise teams for fetching publically accessible contented from sites. For example, it whitethorn beryllium utilized for one-off crawls for interior probe and development.
Historically Googlebot was utilized for this, but that benignant of makes things murky and little transparent, truthful we launched GoogleOther truthful you person amended controls implicit what your tract is crawled for.
That said GoogleOther is not tied to a azygous product, truthful opting retired of GoogleOther crawling mightiness impact a wide scope of things crossed the Google universe; alas, not Search, hunt is lone Googlebot.”
It Might Affect A Wide Range Of Things
Gary is wide that blocking GoogleOther wouldn’t person an impact connected Google Search due to the fact that Googlebot is the crawler utilized for indexing content. So if blocking immoderate of the 3 versions of GoogleOther is thing a tract proprietor wants to do, past it should beryllium good to bash that without a antagonistic effect connected hunt rankings.
But Gary besides cautioned astir the result that blocking GoogleOther, saying that it would person an effect connected different products and services crossed Google. He didn’t authorities which different products it could impact nor did helium elaborate connected the pros oregon cons of blocking GoogleOther.
Pros And Cons Of Blocking GoogleOther
Whether oregon not to artifact GoogleOther doesn’t needfully person a straightforward answer. There are respective considerations to whether doing that makes sense.
Pros
Inclusion successful probe for a aboriginal Google merchandise that’s related to hunt (maps, shopping, images, a caller diagnostic successful search) could beryllium useful. It mightiness beryllium adjuvant to person a tract included successful that benignant of probe due to the fact that it mightiness beryllium utilized for investigating thing bully for a tract and beryllium 1 of the fewer sites chosen to trial a diagnostic that could summation net for a site.
Another information is that blocking GoogleOther to prevention connected server resources is not needfully a valid crushed due to the fact that GoogleOther doesn’t look to crawl truthful often that it makes a noticeable impact.
If blocking Google from utilizing tract contented for AI is simply a interest past blocking GoogleOther volition person nary interaction connected that astatine all. GoogleOther has thing to bash with crawling for Google Gemini apps oregon Vertex AI, including immoderate aboriginal products that volition beryllium utilized for grooming associated connection models. The bot for that circumstantial usage lawsuit is Google-Extended.
Cons
On the different manus it mightiness not beryllium adjuvant to let GoogleOther if it’s being utilized to trial thing related to warring spam and there’s thing the tract has to hide.
It’s imaginable that a tract proprietor mightiness not privation to enactment if GoogleOther comes crawling for marketplace probe oregon for grooming instrumentality learning models (for interior purposes) that are unrelated to public-facing products similar Gemini and Vertex.
Allowing GoogleOther to crawl a tract for chartless purposes is similar giving Google a blank cheque to usage your tract information successful immoderate mode they spot acceptable extracurricular of grooming public-facing LLMs oregon purposes related to named bots similar GoogleBot.
Takeaway
Should you artifact GoogleOther? It’s a coin toss. There are imaginable possible benefits but successful wide determination isn’t capable accusation to marque an informed decision.
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